Seto's Wish
by Kagome Mokuba
Summary: Kaiba finds a magical box that grants him a wish to see his parents again. When he's sent to a world where his parents lived. Will he stay or will he return home where Mokuba is getting sicker?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Seto's Wish

**Author:** Kagome Mokuba

**Revision editor:** Clarity2199

**Editor: **Sami Ryous Hikari (1-8)

JoeyWheeler05 (15-)

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This takes place between Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. The gang did and didn't know about Mokuba before this story. This will be explained in more detail.

If you've read it before then you should know that it's been greatly modified. When this as originally written there were no plans for a sequel. Kaiba dude 101 suggested doing one that was a direct sequel to this. So due to the inconsistencies that arose from that, me and Clarity revised it. Clarity is a lot better when it comes to things like Kaiba's attitude so she did a lot of editing to the revisions.

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Clarity did all the duels in this story. Problems, questions comments send them to is pronounced eye-ko Heartbroken swears that's her real name and Angelee is Cats' real name. Why is Angie in this story? When I first mentioned this story to Cat, she told me to write it and she made sure I was writing. So, her reward for that was being a part of the story. Cat is part of Angie's neopets name coolcat123xyz. It's just a habit I have of calling her Cat. I do it with my other neopets friends too.

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Mokuba's illness and the fact that I made the schools next door to each other were slightly inspired by Cardcaptors episode Stormy Weather in English and Sakura's Dizzy Day of Fever in Japanese and yes I've seen both versions.

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Remember please this is my version of the story. It does not fall under the same guidelines as the series. Forget the rules of the series and enjoy the story! Any facts that were in the series may or may not be different. DO NOT FLAME saying this isn't correct this didn't happen yet or they didn't know this person or this person should be dead or should be alive. _This story does not connect to the series!_

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If you see an error please feel free to report it to me. I'm happy for good reviews and will show them all to Clarity. Even with two of us no ones perfect so we might have made a mistake please feel free to point this out. Even my editor can only do so much.

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**Flamers read my profile! DONOT REVIEW! There is an address to where to send your flames too.**

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This is strictly non yaoi, Slight Seto/Tea and only in the alternate world.

Aibou means partner

Nii-sama means Respectful big brother

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Chapter 1 

On Thursday morning the alarm went off. Eleven-year-old Mokuba groaned, slowly rolling over and hitting the alarm hard enough for it to fall off the table, yet still missing the ground because of the cord. He just lay there, with his arm and head hanging off the bed. He stayed there until the alarm went off yet again.

"I was hoping it'd hit the floor and break." He muttered. Finally, he slowly turned over and began to sit up. "Why is it so cold in here?" He asked aloud to himself. As he stood, he suddenly fell back down to the edge of the bed. "Oh man, I can't be sick today... I have that group project due today and the others are counting on me. I'm supposed to give an oral report on it!"

He slowly made his way to his dresser, pulled out his school uniform and got himself dressed. After getting dressed, he pulled a blanket around himself to shake the feeling of being quite cold and lay back down. He wanted to just lie there forever, but he knew if he went to sleep it wouldn't be long before Seto or one of the maids would be in there to tell him it was time to get up. So, despite the screaming rage going on inside his head telling him furiously to go back to sleep, he got up. But as he did, he shivered as he took the blanket off. So, Mokuba quickly grabbed a sweater, put it on, and then headed downstairs. As he made his way slowly into the kitchen and sat down at the table, he vaguely noticed his brother wasn't there. The maid set down a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Mokuba; whose hands resting on the table and his head resting on them, eyes closed.

The maid gently woke him. "Master Mokuba, come on... time to get up. You need to eat or you'll be late for school." She also found it odd that he was wearing a sweater, since it was suppose to get almost 80 degrees that day.

He opened his eyes slightly to look at the food. His stomach was grumbling and the food looked good, but he wasn't sure he had the energy to eat it.

The maid, whose name was Marci, noticed his face was flushed when he looked up, and placed her hand on his forehead. "You seem a bit hot today young master. Perhaps you should stay home."

"No," Mokuba said, sitting up and pulling the plate closer. "I'll be okay. Where's Seto? He's going to be late for school."

"He's not home. He had an early business meeting before school." Marci said.

"Oh." Was all Mokuba said as he finished his breakfast. After he finished, he then slowly stood up only to fall back down into the chair.

Marci walked over and bent down in front of him. "Why don't we call Master Kaiba and have him call you in sick."

"I can't, I have a big group project due today and I can't miss it." Mokuba said desperately.

"Are you certain? I'm sure your group would understand." Marci softly replied.

"I'll be fine, I'm sure." Mokuba said. Then he got up and went to the front door, checking his backpack to make sure he had everything he needed for the class project. He kneeled down on the floor... then suddenly feeling dizzy, he fell backwards. He caught himself with his hands to keep his back or head from hitting the floor... then shook his head to drive away the dizziness. Once the spinning of his head had calmed down, he made certain all his things were in order, then pulled his backpack closer and zipped it up. Mokuba then opened the door to see Charlie, the limo driver, waiting for him.

"Are you all right Master Mokuba?" Charlie asked, seeming concerned. "You don't look well."

"Yeah I'm fine." Mokuba replied. Mokuba then climbed into the limo to be taken to school, the limo driver helping him in for a change, since he was still concerned on Mokuba's condition... and because of the way he had felt today, Mokuba didn't argue.

Mokuba fell asleep on the ride to school and if it hadn't been for the shoulder strap of his seat belt, he probably would have fallen flat on his face on the sidewalk when the driver opened the door.

"Master Mokuba...if I dare say, you are not looking well enough for school. Perhaps we should go next door and see if Master Kaiba is there yet." Said the driver.

"I can't, I have a big project. I can't miss that class." Insisted Mokuba.

"I believe it would be better if you called in sick... I'm sure your teacher would understand." Persuaded Charlie.

"The teacher might, but seeing as the project requires a speech and I'm suppose to be the one to give it, I don't think the other kid's would. I'll be fine, honestly." Mokuba urged.

"I don't know... Master Kaiba will be greatly upset when he finds out we didn't do more to make you stay home." Said Charlie, doubtful.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell Seto that it wasn't your fault, that it was mine... I promise." Mokuba said, getting his backpack and starting to leave.

"Master Mokuba, do you have your lunch?" asked Charlie suddenly.

Mokuba winced, "I knew I was bound to forget something. Oh well, no problem... I'll do without it."

"Here." Charlie said, handing him five dollars.

"I can't take your money." Mokuba exclaimed.

"I insist. You need to eat... you can pay me back later." Said the driver graciously.

Mokuba smiled and took the money. "Thanks, Charlie."

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First period was like a blur... nothing special. He was thankful he had no homework yet, considering he probably wouldn't have remembered it, anyway. He couldn't even be sure that he didn't go to sleep. No one said anything, but the bell woke him. He was trying his best to stay awake during second period, but it wasn't easy. Looking at the blackboard made him feel like he had severe tunnel vision. The last thing he remembered was the teacher saying everything they were going to discuss that day was going to be on their next test... after that, he seemed to space-out.

"Mr. Kaiba, are you feeling all right?" Ms. Honda asked, bending down in front of him.

"Huh?" Mokuba blinked once or twice; he hadn't heard a word the teacher had said.

Ms. Honda looked at him, as she placed her hand on his forehead. Then she looked at the student next to Mokuba. "Miss. Shido, would you mind helping young Mr. Kaiba to the nurses office?" Ms. Honda asked.

"Sure Ms. Honda." Jeri Shido said.

"No, I'm fine... I can handle it. I have a group project due next period." Mokuba protested.

"I see. What class is it?" enquired Ms. Honda

"History with Ms. Lane." Mokuba answered.

"Does anyone else have history with Ms. Lane, next period?" Ms. Honda asked, glancing around the class.

"I am... and I'm in his group, Ms. Honda." Jeri said

"Good. So Mr. Kaiba, do you have everything ready for this project of yours?" Ms. Honda asked.

"Yes, ma'am but…" Mokuba started

"No buts, young man. Now give everything on your project to Miss. Shido... I'll send a note with her to your next period teacher, explaining everything and have it for her when she returns from taking you to the nurses office." Ms. Honda said.

"But…" Mokuba whined in vain.

"No arguments. You can barely keep your head up." Said Ms. Honda, signaling the end of their conversation.

Mokuba wanted to argue more, but quickly realized it'd be a waste of energy. He reached into his backpack and dug out what he needed. Then he handed Jeri his speech and everything else he had prepared for the project. She set it all down next to her desk and helped him up. Then the teacher gave them a hall pass, and they proceeded to the nurse's office.

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Meanwhile... next door at the high school, the math teacher was facing the blackboard and talking. Some students took notes, others passed notes, and a few other students, Seto Kaiba among them... were sleeping.

"Now class…" Mr. Hawkins started, but then stopped when he noticed the few of his students were sleeping. He took a ruler and whacked the desk furiously causing everyone, including those that were asleep, to look up. "It seems my lecture is starting to bore some of you students. Mr. Kaiba, why don't you come up and finish these problems on the right side of the blackboard?"

Despite being caught sleeping, Kaiba stood and acted just as superior... as if he owned the entire school.

The teacher turned around and began to write on the chalkboard, as Seto Kaiba approached the front of the class. On his way up, Joey was nonchalantly snickering, proving his maturity as usual. And as Kaiba passed, he whacked him right in the back of the head, and kept going... heading to the front of the class, while smirking.

"Hey!" Joey yelled, annoyed.

"Problems, Mr. Wheeler?" Mr. Hawkins asked.

Before Joey could reply, Kaiba shook his head at Joey very slightly, as if to warn him if he told on him... he'd wish he never had.

Joey gave Kaiba a glare, then giving a smirk at the teacher he said, "Yeah, dare's a problem. Kaiba hit me!" 'Dat'll teach the stuck-up jerk!' Joey thought with a smug grin.

Mr. Hawkins then raised an eyebrow, asking, "Is that so? Interesting...I was told by Ms. Wilson you've been making up quite a few stories concerning Mr. Kaiba, lately."

"What! No way!" Joey spat out, in protest.

"Oh, then you don't remember yesterday's antics, when you blamed Seto Kaiba for throwing paper wads at her." Mr. Hawkins pointed out.

At that, Joey leaped up, pointing at Kaiba, as he spat. "But...but he 'did' throw that at her!"

"And he mysteriously got your homework notes, with your name on it...in your handwriting?" Hawkins asked.

Joey growled, "But...but...I was framed!" he cried.

Arms crossed, Kaiba looked away with a slight smirk on his face. 'I warned the mutt not to speak. Obviously some dogs need to go back to obedience training...' He knew those notes he found lying around Joey's desk would come in handy, and what a perfect way to get the mutt in trouble, by throwing paper wads bearing his name and handwriting. And he knew the teachers were so stupid, they wouldn't see such obvious ploy.

But quickly breaking from his train of thought, Kaiba decided it would be best not to just stand there doing nothing, and get in more trouble because of it. So, while Joey continued to argue with the teacher, Kaiba turned to the blackboard, ignoring the whole situation, and proceeded to do the questions that had been asked of him.

"Of course you were. Please come up and do the left side of the board for me, while Mr. Kaiba is finishing with his problems..." Mr. Hawkins said.

"WHAT! Do I have to?" Joey exclaimed.

"No, Mr. Wheeler I won't force you to do it. You may come in during your lunch period or perhaps detention after school, and do it then." Replied Mr. Hawkins.

"But...but...argh!" Joey grumbled, going to the left side of the chalkboard. As he approached, he glared over at Kaiba, who was calmly leaning against the wall next to the chalkboard, waiting for the teacher. 'He's already done! No way!' Joey thought, getting even more pissed than he already was. As if it wasn't bad enough that he was up there too, but now he was going to have Kaiba staring at him the whole time as he did the word problems. 'Stupid Kaiba, he's doing this on purpose just to piss me off. Well, I'll show him!'

Joey pointed at Kaiba again, snapping, "Hey, teach...Kaiba's not doing nothing!"

The teacher glanced over at Kaiba questioningly, who merely shrugged, answering, "It's not my fault that it takes me less time to finish these word problems, than it does for Wheeler to finally shut his trap."

The teacher looked over and sure enough... Kaiba was not only finished on the board, but they were all correct. "Um, yes very good Mr. Kaiba, you may take your seat." He concluded.

'Hmph, that work was child's play. I had it finished in my head before he even called on me to do it!' Kaiba thought to himself.

Joey on the other hand barely had one problem finished by the time Kaiba got back to his seat. There were 20 questions on the board, and Joey had maybe 5 completed when the bell rang.

"All right class, do pages 15 & 16 in your math book. Mr. Wheeler, you on the other hand will also sit down and copy the rest of the problems on the board and complete it at home, then bring it back. I'll write you a note for your next class." Mr. Hawkins said picking up an eraser to erase Kaiba and Joey's answers before the next class began. "Class dismissed." Everyone piled out and headed for their next class.

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At the same time back in the elementary school, Jeri was helping Mokuba to the nurse's office.

"I'm fine, Jeri. There isn't any problem with me. I double-checked everything to be sure my half of our project was perfect. I can't go home sick... you guys need me." Mokuba told her.

"Yeah, well... as much as I agree with you there, I have to agree with the teacher too. You don't look so good." Putting her hand on his forehead, she said "And your head's pretty hot, too."

"But, what about the speech? The teacher wanted it memorized, not just written. That was my job." Mokuba said, concerned, removing Jeri's hand.

"Don't worry about it; I'm sure the teacher will understand. You really need to get some rest. Besides, you won't do us any good if you were to pass out in the middle of your speech." Jeri said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ha ha, very funny. I wouldn't have done that." Mokuba said rolling his eyes, though he kind of wondered if maybe she was right.

"You don't look all that steady on your feet, either." Jeri pointed out.

"I can make it by myself. I don't really need your help, you know. If you'd rather go on back to class you can." Mokuba said persuasively.

"What, and watch you fall flat on your face when I leave you?" Jeri asked giggling. "Besides, this way maybe I'll kill enough time that class will be either over or close to it, by the time I get back."

"Oh, so the real reason comes out." Mokuba smirked. But they both quickly became quiet, as they came close to the office. Inside, Jeri left Mokuba with the nurse, and headed back to class. As she did, the nurse led Mokuba over to sit down on the bed.

"Now young man, what seems to be the problem?" Nurse Jenny asked.

"I'm fine... I just woke up with a headache this morning. I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal out of this." Mokuba said, tired of everyone telling him that he was sick.

"I see." She said taking out a thermometer and placing it in Mokuba's mouth. A minute later, she took it out. "Well little one, it seems you have a 100 degree fever. Why don't you rest for a while? If it gets any worse, I'm going to have to send you home."

Mokuba wanted to argue, but since every time he did it always turned out to be a waste of energy. Besides that, he was sleepy and figured a nap might do him some good. So he just snuggled into the bed, and was asleep the very moment his head hit the pillow.

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A couple of hours later at the high school, history had just ended and everyone was getting in line for the lunch food.

"I hate history!" Joey exclaimed. "I can't believe I got double homework and dat jerk Kaiba didn't! Man, dat's not fair! He wasn't paying attention in dis class anymore than he was in Math, and did he get any extra homework? Oh no...not Kaiba!"

"Uh, Joey..." Tristan said trying to get his friend to stop, seeing that Kaiba had just a moment ago also gotten in line, and was standing right behind Joey.

"Ya know, sometimes I think Kaiba either owns this school or is paying everyone off. Why else would he be such a teachers pet all the time!" Joey ranted on.

"The answer is quite simple, Wheeler... something a dog like you could never understand." Joey whirled around to see Kaiba standing right behind him. "I'm a genius, I don't need to pay anyone off. The teachers only target losers. So really, the reason they target you is pretty obvious." Kaiba replied, smirking.

At that, Joey began to snarl. "Oh yeah! Well if you're such a genius, why are you even in this school? Aint brainiacs suppose ta be like grade levels ahead of everyone else and graduating early and everything!" he snapped.

Kaiba glared at Joey, grabbing the one thing in the lunch line he found worth getting...a milk. "Because, unlike you losers, I have something called a life. I suppose I could have taken the accelerated programs, but that would've taken up time...time that I don't have." Kaiba turned away now, with a sour look on his face. "This whole damn school is a waste of time. I'm 1/2 tempted to take the GED exam and just get out, so I don't have to waste my time being near Yugi's little geek squad anymore than I have to."

"Yeah, well that's just great, cuz we don't want you around neither! So why don't you just do that then...take the exam and get the hell out?" Joey asked, hopeful.

"Because unlike a street dog like you, I prefer to play the better role model... I'm not a quitter. There's no such thing as taking the easy way out of anything, without a price behind it." Kaiba stated. 'And some prices are just too great.' Kaiba thought, afterwards. As the older brother, Kaiba had to prove to be a good example to his little brother. If he dropped out, then what would there be to keep Mokuba from doing the same? Though the accelerate classes would prove more of a challenge between school and Kaiba Corp. he wouldn't get to spend anytime at all with Mokuba. Not that he gets to do much of that anyhow.

"Huh? And what kind of price would that be?" Joey asked, having no clue of anything bad happening from doing that. 'Well, yeah...it probably don't look as good on paper. But we're talking about Kaiba, here. What does he have to worry about? He already owns Kaiba Corp...it aint like someone can just come and kick 'em out cuz he don't look good enough on paper!'

Kaiba glared down at Joey, and snapped, "Mind your own business, mutt! And get out of my way!" As Kaiba snapped at him, he shoved through both Joey and Tristan, to get to the register.

"Hey!" Tristan cried out.

"You jerk!" Joey snarled. "Man, I hate that guy! I wish he would take some test and get out of school, finally getting out of our lives once and for all!"

"Yeah, wishful thinking." Tristan muttered.

"Yeah, moneybags probably enjoys being the teachers pet!" Joey sneered, making sure what he said was loud enough for Kaiba to turn in Joey's direction, as Kaiba was paying for his one milk and preparing to walk away.

Kaiba glared at Joey, but simply muttered, "Hmph." and looked away from Joey, walking to his table, not wanting to acknowledge Joey's answer. Normally, Kaiba could actually enjoy 'playing with the puppy' at times, but today Kaiba was simply too exhausted. It was the reason he had slept during some of his classes...that early meeting just took too much out of him. Lately balancing school, work, and taking care of Mokuba had been starting to take a toll on him.

Besides...sometimes ignoring Joey could get an even better response than acknowledging him. Sure enough, Joey looked pissed as he snapped, "Yeah that's right, moneybags...you just keep walking! Jerk!"

"Joey, just calm down!" Tristan said, holding onto his friend's collar just incase Joey did anything stupid.

"Can you believe that stuck-up prick, thinking he's too good ta talk ta me? He's just lucky he ran away from me. I'll show him a street dog!" Joey snapped, as Tristan dragged Joey to their table.

"Yeah Joey, I'm sure ya would." Tristan said sarcastically, sitting down next to him.

Yugi was already sitting at the table, and then suddenly he asked, "I wonder what Kaiba meant by a bad example." Yugi had amazingly seemed to have caught the whole conversation that had taken place.

"He said that? Who in the world could look up to Kaiba as a role model?" Tea asked.

"Eh...give me a break, Tea. You know Kaiba...he's probably all worried about his 'public image' again. Someone outta put Mr. 'Rod Up His Ass' in his place!" Joey pouted, grabbing a huge pile of the cafeteria food he ordered and shoved it in his face.

"Yeah, like who Joey...you?" Tristan joked.

Joey slammed his fork back down upon his plate, glaring at Tristan. "Yeah, me! What you don't think I can do it! Fine, then maybe I'll show ya!"

"Just don't do anything crazy, Joey!" Yugi said, as he began to calm Joey down.

"Yeah, Joey...don't do anything stupid 'again'!" Tristan said, which only made Joey madder.

Joey leaped up, yelling across the cafeteria, "Hey, moneybags! Get over here...I dare ya!"

Kaiba glanced up at Joey, but then with a smirk, ignored him and continued to type.

If there's one thing Joey hated more than anything in the world, it was being ignored. "Hey, what's the matter, 'SETO', are you afraid of me!"

This time Kaiba looked over, not looking very happy. Yugi suddenly swallowed, saying, "Uh, Joe...you didn't just call him what I think you just called him, did you?"

"What did you just call me!" Kaiba snapped, as he stood up, looking rather hostile.

"Yeah...he did." said Tea, with a sweat drop.

"Joey, you know it's not smart to call him..." Yugi began to say.

But as usual Joey didn't listen, saying, "You heard me, SETO. What are you gonna do about it? Seto, Seto, Seto, Seto..."

The whole time Joey continued to shout out the CEO's first name, Kaiba had began to walk angrily to Joey's table. Everyone was getting up anxiously, waiting to see the big fight.

"...Seto, Seto, Seto..." Joey shut up the instant he was face to face with Kaiba, just waiting to see if Kaiba would make the first move. Though Kaiba was frightening, starting a fight was not something he would normally do. Of course, he never had a problem with finishing the fight.

Kaiba hissed dangerously, "I'm going to give you one chance to apologize to me. No low class loser as yourself 'deserves' the right to utter my name..." Then with a smirk, he added, "...and admit I am by far your superior."

"Bite me!" Joey snapped, daring Kaiba to even try.

"Hmph...you're the dog, here. Did you already forget your place? Someone ought to put a leash on you...and maybe a muzzle, just for safe measures." Kaiba calmly stated.

"Grrr...I'll show you who the dog is!" Joey snarled.

"Yep...he will." Tristan muttered.

There's the wind-up, and pitch. Joey makes an attempt at contacting Kaiba square in the face with his fist. Kaiba easily dodged his blows, as it was strike one...strike two...

Kaiba grabbed his hand on the third punch and twisted. Strike three, you're out!

And indeed, the instant Seto had caught Joey's fist, he swiped at Joey's legs unexpectedly, causing Joey to fall face-first to the ground, letting go of Joey's fist on the way down. As Joey saw the floor quickly coming towards him, his collar was snatched up by a very fast-moving hand. Joey choked when his front collar was pulled to the front of his neck suddenly, but his face was mercifully saved from the fall.

Kaiba looked down at Joey's angle, his hand tightly gripping Joey's collar as he smirked, watching the bug-eyed look on Joey's face as he looked in fear at the floor a good inch from his face. Then at once, Kaiba let go, letting that floor finally reach contact with Joey's nose.

"OWW!" Joey cried out, leaping up and clutching his sore nose, little tear spots on either side of his eyes as he took a moment for the pain to subside. The whole time, Kaiba calmly walked away, parting through the disappointed crowd back to his table, who had hoped futilely to see more blood and gore involved.

Joey looked Kaiba's way and began to growl yet again, as if he was prepared to follow and attack, but the others got up and pulled Joey back down into his seat.

"Joey, will you leave it alone, already?" Tea snapped.

"Yeah Joey, Tea's right. Besides, you were lucky...it looked like Kaiba must been in a good mood." Yugi said.

"What! You call THAT a good mood?" Joey asked.

"Well yeah... considering when he kicked your legs out from under you, he could have easily let you fall instead of grabbing a hold of you at the last second." Tristan stated as Joey just sighed and crossed his arms in frustration.

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During lunch, Kaiba was so disgusted with the food that he had chosen not to get any. It wasn't the first and probably not the last time he'd skipped lunch. Instead, he got out his laptop and started working. He could have brought lunch, but he had to leave so early for that meeting that morning that he didn't have time... besides, he was used to it by now. He started working, when abrupt yelling and screaming suddenly distracted him. Kaiba turned around to see it was only Yugi and his groupies again. It appeared that Tristan had obviously said or did something to cause Joey to start chasing him. Then again from Kaiba's perspective, anything you say or do could set the mutt off. He was surprised this didn't happen more often. The others of course were laughing, obviously finding the whole thing exceedingly amusing. Kaiba just sighed, thinking about how immature they were. Kaiba could have actually found the scene somewhat amusing himself on any other time, but this was not the day...he was too tired to watch the dogs antics today. Instead, he turned back to his computer, intending to go back to work. But as he did, his lack of sleep was once again catching up with him. He soon closed his eyes and rested his head on his hands, finding his mind drifting back to watch Joey go in circles after Tristan, as if he was chasing his own tail.

'There are days like this that makes me wish our parents had lived. I've often wished I could live a carefree life like that, free from stress and the public. Free to be normal.' Hearing loud laughing and yelling he opened his eyes and casually looked over to see Joey trying to strangle Tristan, with Tea and Yugi trying to stop him. 'Well maybe not that normal.' He sighed before starting back to work on his computer.

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"Aw, come on Joey... don't get so defensive! I only asked if Serenity had a boyfriend." Tristan pointed out.

"I already told ya, Tristan, I don't know!" Joey blurted, as he thought, 'But she betta not!'

"Guys that's enough!" Tea said, trying to break them up.

"Hey, is it my fault Joey's sister is hot?" Tristan asked.

"Why I oughtta!" Joey started, as he grabbed Tristan furiously, threatening to punch him again.

Tea grabbed Joey and pulled on his shirt, snapping, "Joey, will you please calm down? I mean, honestly...sometimes you can be as bad as Kaiba!"

"Say, what! Now that's just low!" Joey snapped at Tea. 'She's just lucky she's a girl.' Joey thought, grumbling a bit.

Yugi smiled, saying, "Come on, guys, Kaiba's not that bad."

"Yugi, why do ya keep on defending that creep! We all know what a lousy jerk Kaiba is!" Joey spat, waving his hands about.

Yugi tilted his head, as if in deep thought, muttering, "I know he's done some bad things in the past, but he's not that bad, now. And I can remember a few things he's done that actually seemed kind of...nice."

"Nice!" Tristan asked in shock.

"Nice!" Joey repeated, and then began to laugh.

Tea sweat-dropped, thinking, 'Well, at least Joey stopped thinking about Serenity for now.'

"Well...do you guys remember that assistant Kaiba used to have, the one that Pegasus threatened? Kaiba endangered his own life to save him." Yugi stated, trying to convince them.

"Talk about loyalty to your employees..." Tristan chuckled.

"Huh?" Joey asked, thinking about that. "Oh, you mean the midget!"

At that, Yugi scowled. "He wasn't that small...he was my size." he pouted cutely.

Pretending he didn't hear Yugi, Joey continued to say, "You know...I didn't get that. I mean, his own worker turned against him and was working for Pegasus, ready to battle against Kaiba, and he was still trying to defend him. That was kinda weird. It ain't normal for Kaiba to put up with that crap."

"I just wish we could have seen the battle...those goons kicked us out, right after Yugi started telling Kaiba about the heart of the cards, and warning him about that dragon capture jar." Tristan replied.

"Well...at least everything worked out in the end, that's all that matters." Yugi smiled, as he looked over at the spirit of the puzzle smiling beside him.

Then Tea put her 2 cents in, as she muttered, "I wonder if that guy still works for Kaiba..."


	2. Chapter 2

Back at the Elementary school, Mokuba woke up from his nap, looked around and saw the nurse with another student.

"Excuse me, what time is it?" Mokuba asked, feeling a little better since his nap...but not much.

"Ah, Mokuba, you're awake." Nurse Jenny said, smiling. She then looked at her watch, saying, "Let's see...it's 12:15. We should probably take your temperature now."

The nurse checked his temperature again, and looked at the thermometer. "Hmmm, well it seems to have gone up a little. Not much, but you haven't gotten any better. I think you should go home and get some rest. Now if you give me a number to call, I'll have someone pick you up."

"I can do it." Mokuba said walking over to the nurse's desk and picked up the phone.

"Very well I'll be back in a minute." Nurse Jenny said, walking back over to the other patient.

Mokuba dialed his brother's cell number. As it began to ring, he stared out the window, able to see the high school was not very far off. Over there, some kids were playing basketball, and others were watching while eating. It was then that Mokuba suddenly realized...it was lunchtime! This gave him an idea, since his brother didn't answer his phone, anyway. He'd go to him! As the phone went to the answering service, Mokuba hung up and sat down in the chair waiting for the nurse.

"Did you get in touch with someone?" Nurse Jenny asked, as she returned after checking on the other patient.

"Uh, huh. My big brother's going to meet me right out front." Mokuba lied. "He goes to the high school next door. Is it all right if I go ahead and go out front to meet him?"

The nurse immediately had to check back to her other patient again, muttering, "I don't think that's a good idea. School policy states that a guardian has to come and pick you up."

"But he'll be outside any minute. I told him I'd meet him, there."

She sighed, "Very well, but be careful and stay inside till you see him, understand?" It helped that Mokuba was also a Kaiba. That allowed him to get away with a lot of things any other kid wouldn't. Plus, she was busy trying to talk to her other patient and get that person's parents on the phone.

"Yes, ma'am." Replied Mokuba politely.

The nurse handed the phone to the other patient. She then turned to Mokuba, saying, "And the minute you get home, go straight to bed and get some rest."

"Yes, ma'am."

"All right, go ahead."

"Thanks!" Mokuba got his backpack and headed out.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Mokuba walked over to the high school and watched the boys play ball for a moment. He wanted to ask where the cafeteria was and the boys looked nice enough, but he knew enough from the orphanage that looks weren't everything. So, he decided against asking, assuming it probably wouldn't be that hard to find, anyway. As he got closer to the school, he heard voices.

"Hey come on, slowpoke. If we don't hurry, there won't be any more desert left!" A boy called

"Boys, is that all you can think of is desert?" The girl asked.

"Well, what else is there?" The boy asked.

The girl just sighed and started after her friend.

Mokuba decided to follow them. He stopped when they entered a big fenced-in area, with lots of kids laughing and eating. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." Mokuba said to himself looking around. "I hope I can find Seto in this place." It wasn't really the size of the room that overwhelmed him...Mokuba's house had rooms bigger than the cafeteria. But the amount of people moving through here, and at his size...he wasn't used to it.

Mokuba sighed, 'I just wish I could think straight. If I wasn't so dizzy, I know I could think of an easy way to find him in this...' As he thought about how to find him and hurting his head trying, certain shouting in the lunchroom caught his attention. 'Yugi!' Mokuba thought. Sure enough, it was Yugi and his friends. 'But what do I do? They wont even know me...or they'll think I'm just Seto's personal assistant. What should I say to them?'

As Mokuba's head ached over this, one of the boys moved backwards and ended up tripping over Mokuba.

"Damn it! Who keeps sticking these chairs in my way!" Joey blurted.

"Oh yeah, like they put them there on purpose." Tristan said, not realizing it wasn't a chair yet.

But Tea noticed and quickly rushed over, snapping, "Joey, get up! You're hurting him!"

Joey quickly moved off, asking, "Huh? Hurting who?" Then looking down, he saw Mokuba and leapt back, crying out, "Hey, where did that kid come from?"

Yugi immediately ran over to Tea, as she checked out Mokuba, and asked. "Tea, is he all right?"

"Yeah he seems to be ok." She said, helping him up. "He looks a bit dazed, though...and kind of pale, too." Mokuba didn't look well to anyone really looking at him, and she pressed her hand to his head, to be sure. "Gee, poor kid...he's awfully hot. I think he has a fever."

"Ow...what happened?" Mokuba asked.

"It's all right. Joey's big feet just got in his way and accidentally fell on you. Are you all right?" Tea asked helping him to his feet.

"What? That aint my fault! It was Tristan...he pushed me!" Joey snapped.

"Yeah, I think so." Mokuba said.

In-between the talks with Mokuba, Joey continued to growl and complain, suddenly blurting out, "And I don't have big feet!"

Ignoring Joey's outbursts, Yugi then approached Mokuba, and asked, "Say, aren't you a little young to be going to this school?"

"Yeah, you couldn't be more than what...9?" Tristan said.

Mokuba was insulted by this, and spit out, "I'm 11, thank you very much!" too sick, and too angry at Tristan's comment to have noticed Yugi, yet.

"Hey, relax...Tristan didn't mean anything by it." Yugi said, trying to calm Mokuba down.

Mokuba glared over to who was talking to him next, but instantly calmed once he recognized who it was. 'Yugi...even he doesn't recognize me. Is that a good thing or a bad thing that they don't know me?' Yugi was the one to save his brother from...well, from himself and from the pain that Gozaburou had caused his brother, and turned him into.

At that moment, Tea said, "Hey, let's get back to our table before we get in trouble." The others agreed and led Mokuba over to a chair beside Yugi's, while Tea sat on the other side of the kid. Once they all sat down, Tea asked him, "So what's your name? Mine's Tea and this is Yugi. And across from us is Joey and Tristan."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Mokuba."

'Its strange after everything that we went through in the virtual world trying to save Seto, and even before that, to be talking with them like we're total strangers. But then again, I guess I do look a lot different now than I did before. But...I didn't want to disgrace my brother, then.'

"So you actually 'go' to this school? Man, you must be one smart kid. So are you in one of those accelerated classes, or something?" Joey asked, scratching his head.

"Wow, Joey...that's a big word for you." Tristan teased, causing Joey to growl at him.

"Huh?" Mokuba asked being knocked out of his thoughts. "Oh, no...I don't go here. I'm from the elementary school. I wasn't feeling well today. The school nurse was going to call to have someone pick me up, but I thought it might be nice to surprise my big brother. I felt that instead of him coming to me, I'd go to him. I told the nurse I called him and he was meeting me out front."

"You shouldn't have lied like that. What if you had gotten hurt? Your brother wouldn't have known what happened, to you." Tea said.

Mokuba nodded, staring down at his shoes. "You're right...I probably shouldn't have done it. But I'm already here, so I guess it's too late to turn back now."

"So your big brother goes to this school?" Joey asked.

"Uh, huh." Mokuba said

"Well maybe if you tell us his name, we can help you find him." Tristan said.

"Really? You'll help me?" Mokuba asked.

"Of course we will... right guys?" Yugi asked.

"Okay!" Tristan nodded.

Tea also agreed, "Of course...that's what friends are for!" doing her friendship speech.

Yugi looked over, asking, "Joey?"

But Joey looked a little iffy about it. He shrugged, "I dunno, Yugi. Don't get me wrong, I wanna help the little guy. But ya gotta understand... I don't know anyone all that well. And the only ones I do know are from my past...which I don't wanna know, and they probably don't wanna know me. Plus...how are we gonna help him...go wandering around the cafeteria, calling for 'Mokuba's big brother'? Even if we know da guys name, asking table to table for this guy ain't really the best idea, especially for someone like me. And I don't really need another detention. Besides, maybe he's already done eating and ain't even here anymore. He could'a went to class, or went outside to eat, or some study hall somewhere. Does he even know if it's his brother's lunchtime?"

Yugi sighed, saying, "Joey does have a point."

At that, Mokuba started looking very downcast. And seeing how miserable Mokuba looked, Tea immediately decided on her cheer-up speech. She stood up and announced to them, "Come on guys, don't give up! It couldn't really hurt to try, could it?"

'Yeah.' Joey thought.

Tea smiled down at Mokuba, saying, "How about this. Instead of his name, how about describing your brother to us. Maybe if we knew what he looked like, we could eye him easier..."

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Joey said.

"Good thinking, Tea." Yugi encouraged.

Mokuba smiled, his hopes again raised. "My brother's really tall, he has brown hair, and it's short...nothing like mine. He has blue eyes, and a deep voice." Mokuba thought for a minute then added, "Oh yeah, and he's kind of a grouch around other people."

At that, Joey laughed. "That's funny, the guy sounds just like..." and froze, wondering if he was right. 'Kaiba? Could it be?'

Mokuba immediately leaped up in his chair, asking, "Who, Joey? Who's the guy you're thinking of?" hopeful he was thinking of Seto.

All of Yugi's friends looked over, as Yugi asked, "Yeah, Joey...do you have an idea?"

"What? Oh, no...no way. It aint him. Sorry, I was just thinking out loud. There's no way it's him."

"Are you sure? Maybe it is!" Mokuba said.

"Kid, the guy I was thinking of don't have a brother. Sorry for getting your hopes up like that. I was just thinking of someone else, that's all..." Joey said.

Mokuba seemed to physically droop as Joey said that, crushing the poor kid's hope as he took a seat.

Tea then slapped Joey hard on the shoulder, saying, "Well, maybe you should keep your thoughts to yourself, Joey. You had the poor kid hoping you knew who his brother was!"

"Oh, man...I'm sorry, Mokuba. I didn't mean to get you all hopeful like that." Joey muttered.

Mokuba smiled. "It's okay...you're just trying."

"Anyone else have any idea?" Yugi asked. "I don't know anyone like that." Yugi then chuckled, saying, "The only person I can think of is Ushio, and he doesn't go to this school, anymore."

"Oh, damn...Ushio. That was one bad dude!" Tristan said.

"Hey, Mokuba said the guy was grumpy, not some psychopath!" Joey blurted.

Mokuba immediately looked away. After all, there were many out there that may consider his brother exactly that. But he would never say that about his brother. 'My brother's different now...he never meant anything.'

"Sorry, Mokuba." Yugi laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't know anyone either. I mean, yeah...I've seen a lot of guys who are tall with brown hair, but I don't know their personalities." Tea said.

"I know 'a lot' of guys fitting that description." Tristan said.

Joey turned back to Mokuba, asking, "Hey kid, you think you could maybe add a little more detail to dis guy we're looking for? After all, there are a lot of guys who fit that. Besides...in school ya can't help but be grumpy! Uh...Mokuba?"

"Aw...he's asleep. The poor kid." Tea said, looking down at Mokuba slumbering away.

"Wow," Yugi said. "I guess he is sick." Yugi sighed. "We really need to find his brother...he shouldn't be here feeling this bad."

"Hey, Yug..." Joey suddenly muttered.

"What is it, Joey?" Yugi asked.

"Well...you don't think that his brother could be Kaiba, do you? I mean, he is like the 'King' of grumpy." Joey muttered.

"Do you really think so?" Yugi asked.

At that, both Tea and Tristan laughed. "No way...Kaiba's not related to anyone."

"Thank god!" Tristan added.

"I'd feel sorry for anyone having a brother like Kaiba." Tea also replied.

Yugi looked at them with sincerity in his eyes, asking, "How come? Kaiba's changed...he's not that bad, anymore."

"Yugi...he tried to kill us, more than once." Joey told him.

"Yeah, and he had his security beat the crap out of us...that wasn't cool." Tristan also chimed in.

Joey had one of those rare serious and angry looks on his face at that moment, as if remembering something. "Stupid Kaiba...I meant what I said before Duelist Kingdom. I aint never forgiving him for what he did."

During the time they were on the subject of bashing Kaiba again, Tea was looking down at Mokuba sadly. "Guys, as much fun as it might be to be talking about how horrible Kaiba is 'again.' we really should do something to help this kid out, instead of arguing."

"So...what should we do?" Tristan asked.

Joey suddenly jumped up with a brilliant idea. "Hey, how about we post a big name of the guy we're looking for and parade around with it? Then we can find him!"

"As if Kaiba wasn't calling us dorks before...I'm sure he'd love that." Tristan muttered.

Joey growled again, as Kaiba's name was brought up.

But Joey was quickly cut off, as well as his idea ignored, as Tea said, "I have a better idea. I'll take him and we'll look around the cafeteria. If we don't find him, then we'll take him to a pay phone and he can call his brother to come get him."

"That's a great idea, Tea!" Yugi said. "Do you want me to come, too?"

Tea smiled, saying, "Naw...I'll be okay with this brave kid next to me."

"You sure about this, Tea?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, I think 'my' plan sounded better!" Joey said.

"Fine...then go walk around with a billboard stuck to your back, until someone mistakes it for a 'kick-me' sign. In the mean time, I'm going with Mokuba, here." Tea answered him.

Joey just turned away, mumbling, "My idea was better..."

"But Tea, next period is coming up. If we don't find his brother soon, who's going to watch him? We all have class next period." Yugi said with concern.

"I'll do it!" Joey suddenly blurted out, forgetting all about his pouting.

Tea looked over with suspicion, asking, "You, Joey? Don't you have chemistry next period?"

Joey gave a 'hero' pose, saying, "No problem...for my friends, I'll be happy to do anything I have too, make any sacrifice."

This caused sweat drops on all the others as Joey said this. With a look of disbelief, Tea said, "Oh, yeah...big sacrifice."

Tristan then snapped, "You jerk! You always skip that class!"

Joey then laughed, saying, "Oh, yeah. Well then, see? I'm risking a detention...and all for Mokuba, here!"

At that, everyone dropped out of their seats.

Joey just grinned, adding, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do..."

They all shook their head, giving up.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Tea walked over and gently woke the boy. "Mokuba, come on wake up. Let's go look for your brother, all right?"

Mokuba nodded his head, while wishing that his nap had gotten rid of his headache...it was seriously starting to hurt again.

Tea kept a tight grip on his hand keeping him close, and doing her best to shield him from the bigger guys goofing off. She felt they could see a lot more from the front. However, Mokuba couldn't see much... just a lot of heads. He couldn't tell if Seto was there or not. Tea saw a few guys walk by that looked right, but they just walked past without a word. Several people glanced over at them, but no one stopped or acknowledged him...most were in fact more interested in staring at Tea's chest. She was beginning to wonder if Joey might have been right, and he wasn't even here.

But despite the hopelessness of the situation, Mokuba wasn't going to give up. And even though his head was killing him, he desperately tried to get his brain to work through the pain. 'I know Joey's wrong about Seto not being here. I know this is his lunch period. So, unless there's a meeting at Kaiba Corp. or something, he would be here. Think, Mokuba...if I were him, where would I sit to be alone and away from the crowd?'

"I know!" Mokuba exclaimed out loud! "Come on, Tea." he said dragging her over and stopping between the two rows nearest the fence.

"Did you see him?" Tea asked.

"No, but I'm sure he'd be around here, somewhere." Mokuba said.

Though Mokuba was leading the way, he stayed close to Tea to make sure he didn't get lost. As Mokuba searched for what he was looking for, Tea couldn't help but look down at him in pity. 'Poor kid, look at him...he's so determined. It's going to be terrible if we can't find him...but I think Joey's right. There are just too many people. There's no way we can find him in here.'

Tea sighed, "Come on, Mokuba...it's hopeless."

"No, I'm sure he's around here!" Mokuba said.

"I'm sorry...there's just too many people. Maybe you should try and phone your brother again." Tea said.

"Yeah, but..." Mokuba stuttered.

"Come on, Mokuba...we tried." Tea told him.

"Okay." Mokuba said, looking down.

They began to head back, Mokuba following behind. But as they did, Mokuba caught something out of the corner of his eye and froze. 'Big brother, there you are!' Immediately, Mokuba b-lined it straight to his brother, without Tea even realizing, as she continued to walk.

She made it back to the table, looking grim.

Yugi looked excited, though, asking, "So, did you find him?"

"No...afraid not." Tea said.

"Uh...so where is he, then?" Tristan asked, not seeing Mokuba.

Tea looked confused, asking, "Who?" then turned to see he was not there. She gasped, saying, "Oh, no...I told him to stay close."

She immediately turned a began to backtrack to look for Mokuba, as Yugi stood, saying, "Let me help!"

"It's okay, Yugi...I'll find him." Tea said and rushed away. 'Crazy kid...he can get himself hurt around here.' She then froze, seeing where Mokuba was, and at who's table. Tea immediately bit her lip, thinking, 'Oh, no...and talk about trouble. Why did he go 'there'?'


	3. Chapter 3

Meanwhile, Mokuba walked over to his brother and calmly watched him type on his laptop. As Kaiba typed, he paused observing that Tea was approaching him like a frightened dear, even partially hunched down as if trying 'not' to be noticed by him.

He raised an eyebrow, wondering what in the world she was doing.

Tea then cupped her hand around her mouth, and was trying to whisper something...in a crowded cafeteria. By this time, Kaiba stopped typing altogether, and crossed his hands while glaring at her.

Tea finally noticed Kaiba was staring her down and turned white. 'What an idiot.' he thought, though still slightly curious why she was acting even stranger than usual...if that was possible.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Tea had been attempting to whisper, "Mokuba, get away from him, get away!" but was not being heard.

She then noticed Kaiba was glaring at her and froze. 'Oh, no! I'm toast...and if that kid doesn't get away from him, he's going to be in big trouble, too!'

By this time, Mokuba had gotten down on his knees to watch his brother, since he was still tired from his cold. Tea had by this time finally gotten his attention, and he looked over at her, waving around like a crazy woman. He couldn't tell what she was saying, and giggled from the way she was acting. 'She's silly.' he thought, and hugged his brother's arm which had just come back down to continue typing, after Kaiba decided Tea wasn't worth the attention he was giving her. Only after hugging Kaiba's arm, did Mokuba suddenly notice how his big brother stiffened-up from the contact.

Kaiba froze instantly with the look of surprise on his face, not expecting anyone to dare even touch him, nonetheless grab hold of him like that. Since it was Tea that was attempting to warn the person away, Kaiba wondered who could be that 'stupid' and know the geek squad. 'The mutt.' Kaiba thought. 'And he's going to pay!'

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, as he roughly yanked his arm away from the perpetrator, ready to backhand the person as he glared to find...no one. But then from his line of sight, a hand rose in his view, saying, "Down here!"

Kaiba then looked down to find who it was...and instantly softened, not even bothering to hide his surprise and relief. "Mokuba...what are you doing here?"

'Oh, no...now he's trying to talk to him! And look how angry he was a minute ago!' Tea thought in a panic. Fighting back her fear, she found the strength to finally find her voice and cried, "Mokuba come over here, now! Get away from there!" It was still a low whisper, fearing what Kaiba might do to the poor kid and her...but at least it was enough for Mokuba to hear, this time.

Mokuba shook his head no, as he stood back up. Then to Tea's surprise, he turned back to Kaiba and hugged him. Tea put her hand to her mouth, expecting Kaiba to belt the kid to next Saturday for daring to touch him. She couldn't let this happen...she had to do something!

Before even seeing how Kaiba would respond to him, Tea rushed right up to him, snapping, "Don't you dare touch a hair on that poor kid's head, do you hear me?"

Mokuba snapped his head back up; surprised that anyone would talk to his brother that way. He noticed it was Tea, not expecting her to actually approach this close...after the way she was acting towards his brother a minute ago.

Kaiba seemed to be ignoring the clingy little kid for the moment, as he crossed his arms, snapping, "I'm sure the entire cafeteria can hear you, by now. Gardner, do you have a death wish? What do you think you're doing over here...in my personal air space?"

Tea looked angry, and spat back, "I'm trying to save someone's life from an evil monster, that's what!"

Kaiba looked amused, muttering, "Interesting...and I thought only Yugi did the over dramatics of always having to 'save someone'. It must be catching. Why don't you go move back towards those losers you call friends? I don't want to catch it..."

"You know what I mean, Kaiba! Leave that poor kid alone!" Tea snapped, pointing at Mokuba.

Kaiba looked at his brother with surprise, as Mokuba just shrugged seeming confused from Tea's reaction. Kaiba then looked back up at her, his confusion quickly changing to anger for 'daring' to tell him what he can or can't do with his own brother! "Mind your own business, Gardner. Turn around and leave, while I'm still being charitable enough to let you."

"He IS my business!" Tea snapped at him, regardless of the last threat. "I promised that little boy I'd help him find his brother...and that's what I'm going to do!"

"Great. So, you've done your public service. Now, get lost." Kaiba hissed in rage.

Tea then stubbornly took a seat, saying, "Maybe you didn't hear me. But until I find his brother, I'm not leaving him...especially with some psycho like you!"

Mokuba looked instantly offended at that, but didn't say anything. After all, he was in Kaiba's High School, and a little kid trying to defend his big brother may not look good in front of other kids Seto's age. He didn't want to do anything that could embarrass him...so he stayed silent for the moment.

"I never said you could sit down." Kaiba told her, still not looking in the least bit pleased, and ignoring her stupid 'psycho' comment. "And I already told you, you fulfilled your mission. So, you can stop your little preaching and friendship speeches, now. I'm ill enough just being in sight of you."

"Listen Kaiba." Tea began to argue, but faltered as a thought finally caught in her mind. "Uh...say, you don't seem very bothered by that kid clinging to you, like that."

Kaiba smirked. "Careful Gardner...keep talking and you're going to prove just how stupid you really are."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Tristan was concerned...it's been taking too long for Tea to find Mokuba. So, he began to look around, himself. As he did, Tristan suddenly froze...there was Tea sitting down with Kaiba, talking. Mokuba was holding onto Kaiba's side and Kaiba by this time had one arm around Mokuba, while talking rather sternly to Tea. 'What in the world?'

Tristan immediately turned back and waved for the others...Joey and Yugi quickly joined him.

"What's wrong, Tristan?" Yugi asked, confused.

Tristan pointed in the direction of Tea, Kaiba and Mokuba, saying, "Take a look for yourself."

"No way!" Joey said. "That kid is practically hugging Kaiba, and...he's still alive!"

Yugi, being the all-insightful one, smiled up at Joey, and muttered, "Well, Joey...maybe you were right, all along. Maybe Kaiba really 'is' Mokuba's big brother."

"No way!" Joey blurted back. "I know exactly what this means...that poor kid just got into Kaiba's clutches and is now holding him hostage. Tristan, Yugi, we gotta save him now, before Kaiba summons his dragon to swallow the poor kid whole!"

"Uh, Joey...I don't think..." Yugi began to mutter in vain.

But Tristan blurted out, "Rescue time!"

"Let's do it!" Joey blurted back. "Chaaarrrgge!"

"Joey, wait!" Yugi cried. Too late...both Tristan and Joey charged to save Mokuba from Kaiba's evil clutches, and save the day.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

"Stupid? Who are you calling stupid!" Tea snapped.

"Maybe if you'd paid attention, you'd know." Kaiba muttered, irritably. Deciding to ignore Tea on anything else since this was simply too dumb, Kaiba moved Mokuba back a step so he could move back his chair.

Tea bit her lip, wondering what Kaiba was about to do to poor Mokuba.

...but she didn't have a chance to find out. Just then, everyone was shocked to hear Joey blurting out, "He let go of his captive. Get him, now!"

Kaiba looked up, horrified to see Joey practically launch himself into the air and grab onto Mokuba, causing his little brother to get launched backwards, as Joey rolled with him to prevent him from any serious harm hitting the floor. Kaiba instinctively cried out in concern, "Mokuba!" Kaiba was just starting to get up to kill the Mutt for daring to put his hands on his brother, when Tristan joined Joey a second later, lunging at Kaiba and sending them both flying backwards.

All the kids of the cafeteria seemed to stop and turn to see what was going on, all anxious for a fight to break out. Tea was completely frozen to her seat, her mouth dangling open like a big fish. The gears in Tea's brain began to turn suddenly, as she thought, 'Wait...Kaiba knew the kid's name. How could he know the kid's name, unless...oh, no!'

Yugi was charging towards them, trying to helplessly call out, "Stop! You don't know what you're doing!" But with the crowd around them, crying out for a fight, Yugi was heard with deaf ears.

Joey pulled himself up, asking, "You okay, kid? I told them I'd do what I had to ta save ya!"

"Huh?" Mokuba asked, totally confused. But both Mokuba and Joey turned to hear a hard slapping noise and cheering from the school kids.

Kaiba had enough, and was willing to give the school exactly what they wanted to see...he decked Tristan hard in the jaw, sending him flying off of him, as Kaiba rose from the ground, glaring at Joey with death in his eyes.

Tristan moaned, trying to get up despite the attack, in order to help Joey out.

Joey immediately jumped in front of Mokuba, saying, "Forget it, Kaiba...you aint getting near him!"

"I'm giving you one chance, Mutt...get away from him, now!" Kaiba answered in a dangerously calm tone.

Joey, being the generally stupid person that he is, showed no fear and blurted back, "No way! You did enough kidnapping for a lifetime. There ain't no way I'm gonna let you get your grubby paws on him!"

Kaiba was about to lunge at Joey to kill him, hearing enough of his stupid crap. And Tristan was about to once again pounce on Kaiba, refusing to let him hurt Joey, and hoping to have a double team up against the CEO. 2 to 1, maybe they could win...well, maybe.

"But he's my brother!" Mokuba suddenly blurted out behind Joey, before the chaos could begin.

Now Joey and Tristan both froze, and slowly turned to Mokuba, who pealed himself away from the back of Joey to see his brother. Joey finally muttered, "Uh...buh...brother?"

Yugi then walked up and smiled. "I told you, Joey...Mokuba's his brother." with Tea nodding beside him as if she had known all along.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-----

The whole mess was straightened out, and Kaiba's glaring and threats seemed to cause the rest of the school crowd to disperse.

Kaiba got back in his chair, as Mokuba sat on his brother's lap.

Both Joey and Tristan felt exceedingly stupid at the moment, trying to hide behind Yugi…and failing badly; due to the difference in height.

Yugi smiled, saying, "I'm sorry about that, Kaiba. They didn't know he was your brother. They were just trying to look out for his best interests..."

Kaiba glared at the two, stating, "I find it hard to believe that tackling my brother could be considered some attempt at being charitable!"

"Hey, we didn't know he was your brother! I was trying to protect him!" Joey snapped.

"Then next time, Mutt...don't. Your attempts at trying to save him, could have been the death of him." Kaiba spat, making Joey growl again. Mokuba just giggled at his brother's comment.

Yugi looked over at Joey, saying, "Joey...don't you have something to say to him?"

"No!" Joey spat back.

"Joey..." Yugi warned.

Joey grumbled, then turned away, and muttered, "Sorry..." not sounding like he meant it in the least.

Kaiba only smirked, saying, "Maybe if you beg for forgiveness...I'll consider it."

"What? Forget it Kaiba, I ain't..." Joey began to say.

But Tea quickly stopped him. "Shhh...keep it down, Joey. You know that Mokuba's sick."

"What?" Kaiba asked, suddenly focusing back at Mokuba. Suddenly in a softer tone, Kaiba asked him, "Is that why you're here?"

Mokuba nodded slowly.

"Why wasn't I informed from the school?" Kaiba asked him.

Mokuba then looked down. "I'm sorry, Seto. It's just that well… the nurse was going to call you to take me home, but I thought I could just come over and see you, instead."

"And she just let you go?" Kaiba asked.

He shook his head, "Well, no...I told her that I called you, and said you'd be waiting out front for me."

"Mokuba..." Kaiba said, in a warning tone.

"I know I shouldn't have, I'm sorry...but I wanted to surprise you." Mokuba said.

"Yes, I suppose you did that." Kaiba said, with a hint of sarcasm. "You could have gotten hurt over here. Anything could have happened to you." He scolded.

"I know...I'm sorry." Mokuba repeated. He then looked up, saying, "But if I told the nurse, I was worried you would have just sent the limo for me, and... I wanted to see you!"

Kaiba then sighed...what could he say? As wrong, as the move was that Mokuba made in leaving school without notifying someone, Kaiba couldn't help but put himself partially to blame for this. After all, he's been working so hard these last few weeks; he barely had any time to spend with him, lately.

And Mokuba looked so miserable in his arms...was that tears he saw? 'He must be sick.' Kaiba thought. Mokuba normally didn't get that emotional, unless he really wasn't feeling well. Mokuba might be the most normal between the two of them, but from their past even he was toughened up from what they had to deal with. He might be small...but he was amazingly strong.

Kaiba held him securely between his arms, and muttered quietly, "Don't cry. I'm not happy that you did this, but I'm not angry." Kaiba then brought his hand to Mokuba's chin, lifting it up to make Mokuba look at him. "Just promise me you'll never do that again." He whispered, and wiped the tears from Mokuba's face as he held him close.

Mokuba smiled happily. "I won't, I promise big brother!" he said as he wrapped his arms back around his brother's neck...happy that his big brother wasn't angry with him.

"...and next time, call me." Kaiba added as an after statement.

At that, Mokuba looked back up. "But, Seto...I did call you, but you didn't answer. It just went to your voice mail."

Kaiba blinked in surprise, then remembered. "That's right...we're not allowed to have them on during class. I'll have to talk to the principal about this matter. If something happens to you, I need to know about it. But tell me...why was the nurse going to send you home?"

"You're brother has a fever." Tea suddenly said out of the blue, causing Kaiba to suddenly remember they weren't alone...he had the geek squad still crowded around him.

Kaiba glared up at them, stating, "I would have thought you nerds would of all gotten the hint by now to get lost! This is family business!"

"Hey, it's not our fault that you didn't notice the poor kid's got a fever, by now!" Joey blurted.

"Joey!" Yugi chastised, nudging Joey in the ribs.

"Hey, I'm thinking of kid's best interests...what's the crime in that?" Joey asked.

Tristan then joked, "You didn't seem to care too much when you knocked him over, earlier!"

"Hey, that wasn't my fault...he got in the way!" Joey spat back in defense.

"Uh oh..." Mokuba muttered in foreboding, feeling his brother immediately stiffen up.

Kaiba hissed back at Joey, "You did 'what' to my brother?"

"Huh? Uh..." Joey's oh-so intelligently replied.


	4. Chapter 4

Kaiba rose, staring Joey down, and looking rather threatening.

Any smart person would have run by now...but Joey was not one to fit that category. Instead, he immediately put his fists up, snapping, "Come on, Kaiba...you want a piece of me? I'll take you on!"

"Joey, don't encourage him!" Yugi said hastily.

"You are not to get near my brother...do you understand me?" Kaiba ordered Joey.

Joey snapped back, "Hey, it aint my fault! I thought he was a chair..."

That didn't help Joey's case. Kaiba grabbed Joey by the wrist; twisting it and forcing him kneeling position. "Maybe I should help show you the difference!"

"Kaiba, stop it!" Tea cried, even if Joey was stupid enough to only make Kaiba angrier. "Maybe you should focus on what's more important here...mainly your little brother. Mokuba is sick, and needs to get home!"

"Mind your own business, Gardner!" Kaiba snapped, but quickly glanced over at Mokuba. Kaiba had moved from his seat in order to get up and threaten Joey, and had let Mokuba sit there in his place. As much as he hated to be chastised by anyone, especially Yugi's little geek friends, he had to admit...she was right, even if he would never openly say that.

Kaiba let Joey go, and took a final glance Joey's way, who had stood back up and was once again in his 'tough' stand, still pretending he could take him on. He then turned away, grunting, "Hmph...a nobody like you isn't worth my time, anyway."

"That's a good thing, cuz I woulda kicked yer ass!" Joey said, getting a slap from Tristan. Joey looked over at his friend, asking, "Ow! What?"

Kaiba checked Mokuba's head and felt it was indeed hot. He then packed up his things, and smiled down at Mokuba, saying, "Let's get you home..."

Mokuba looked up at his big brother and smiled back. Since the cafeteria was still very crowded, he picked Mokuba up, cradling him in his left hand, grabbing his suitcase in the other, then turned with full intention on ignoring Yugi's groupies around him and simply leave.

During that time though, Tristan had told Joey, "You're tempting fate, man. You should be glad that Kaiba's not smearing you across the lunch room."

"Oh, yeah...like he'd have the chance to, even if his hands weren't filled. That's right, Kaiba...you just take your brother home and count yourself lucky, this time. Next time, you wont even have a chance!" Joey said boastfully and loud enough for onlookers to hear on purpose. After all, with Kaiba's hands full, it was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of it, and earn some brownie points now that Kaiba couldn't do anything to retaliate.

But as Joey was giving Kaiba that smug smirk, he didn't expect Kaiba's arm to come up, still holding his suitcase and push him...'hard'. Joey instantly fell over, tripping over one of the cafeteria chairs.

"You should be careful with those chairs, Wheeler..." Kaiba taunted, as he kept going.

Joey glared up at Kaiba, growling at him as he moved on. Instead of getting bonus points against Kaiba, he became the laughing stock of the cafeteria. And with Kaiba carrying Mokuba, he couldn't even fight him back. "Bastard!" he yelled out again, but it did little to raise Joey's mood.

But as Yugi was helping Joey up, now Tristan jumped in front of Kaiba. "Get out of my way, before you're next." Kaiba warned him.

"I'm not trying to fight you, Kaiba...but after Tea helped Mokuba to find you, I figured the least you could have done was thank her for the help!" Tristan said.

Kaiba paused then looked over at Tea, who looked back up at him waiting to hear it. Kaiba opened his mouth like he was ready to say it, but instead laughed coldly at her. As he laughed, he turned away and continued to walk, pushing passed Tristan.

"What a jerk!" Tristan snapped, annoyance written in his features.

But Tea came over, holding Tristan's arm to keep him from doing something crazy, next. "Don't worry about it, Tristan...he's not worth it."

Yugi and Joey now approached, as Joey said, "Don't you worry about it, Tristan. He's just lucky he had his brother with him, or I would have taken him down a couple notches, right now."

Tristan just sighed, "Yeah, sure ya would have..."

Tea turned and looked back towards the looming dark form of Kaiba that just radiated 'go away', as he left the cafeteria with Mokuba. "I just can't believe that Mokuba could be his little brother...he's such a sweet little kid."

Yugi smiled, saying, "Who knows...maybe Kaiba was like that, once."

There was a long pause, before Joey collapsed on the ground in a fit of laughter, and even Tristan and Tea were snickering from the thought. Yugi just sulked, muttering, "It's possible..."

Tristan recovered, saying, "Well, I'm not going to waste my time worrying about Kaiba, anyway. I got a hot date with Serenity to plan!"

"WHAT?" Joey snapped, immediately leaping back off the floor and grabbing Tristan by the collar. "You aint touching my sister, you got that!"

"Oh boy here we go again..." Tea said, and she and Yugi just sat down to watch.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Kaiba was relieved to finally get away from Yugi's group and the crowd of the cafeteria. He was actually tempted to thank Tea, despite how much he couldn't stand any of them, if anything...for his brother's sake. But the last thing he was going to show was a possible soft side of himself in front of an entire cafeteria filled with people. No one even knew who this kid was Kaiba was carrying...and as far as he was concerned, it was best it stayed that way.

'She doesn't deserve it anyway.' Kaiba thought to rid himself of this strange feeling inside...was it guilt? He looked down at Mokuba to make sure he wasn't in fact upset about his behavior towards Tea, to see his brother was asleep. 'Great.' Kaiba thought, hoping to get him to walk for himself now, but with Mokuba asleep, he didn't have the heart to wake him, despite what everyone else thought about him.

He stopped for a moment to search his pockets for his cell phone, and came up empty. He could only assume it was in his briefcase, making it difficult to open with one hand...but he was going to have to somehow, if he was going to call the driver to school so early. So, finding a place to put his briefcase down, he fumbled to open it up.

"The bell didn't ring yet for you to be leaving the cafeteria, Mr. Kaiba." A man suddenly said to him.

Kaiba turned to see his computer science teacher, Mr. Mayaki. It was Kaiba's next course, and just about the only class Kaiba, felt was worth even going to school for. He actually regretted having to miss it, but with Mokuba sick, it couldn't be helped.

"You look like you're ready to leave. Don't tell me you plan on missing my class?" Mr. Mayaki added.

Kaiba gave a slight nod of respect, saying, "My apologies, Unfortunately, it can't be helped...I have to go. I'll send someone over to pick up any work that I missed, and I'll be calling the school's secretary as soon as I have the chance."

"And why exactly do you need to go? Don't tell me another work emergency..." he asked. But before he could answer, the teacher noticed the kid in his arms, and added, "My, my...and who is this little guy?" Suddenly the idea that Kaiba actually had a kid came to the man's mind, and he looked at Kaiba in surprise. "He isn't actually your..."

"...brother. And he's sick...I need to get him home." Kaiba responded.

Mr. Mayaki nodded. "I see. I didn't realize you even had a brother."

"I have a difficult enough time with the constant media frenzy. I see no reason to put him through it as well, if I can avoid it." Kaiba explained.

"Understandable." Mayaki said.

Mr. Mayaki then walked over, helping Kaiba to open his briefcase, seeing he was having a difficult time with it, allowing Kaiba to get his phone out. "Well, then I guess we will be seeing you later. But keep in mind that the school is not going to like hearing that you're skipping out again. It's understandable that you're busy with the company you run, but you must realize that staying in school can be very important...even for you."

Kaiba closed the case back up, refusing to thank him for it, as he grabbed his briefcase, saying, "I understand...I'll talk to them about it." and walked away in a hurry so he didn't have to hear the man lecture him any further about it. 'Idiot...as if I was planning to leave school, today.' Kaiba pushed though the double doors, and stopped at the stairs so he could call his limo driver to meet him out front.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

The lunchroom bell finally rang, and everyone went to their next period classes. The entire time, Yugi had become strangely quiet. Though the others hadn't noticed, another presence did.

/What's wrong, Yugi/

Yugi jumped, taken off guard from suddenly hearing his other self. /Oh, it's you/

/Sorry Yugi, I didn't mean to startle you./

/No, it's okay...I guess I was just out of it./ Yugi smiled to where Yami's see-through presence was next to him.

Yami smiled back at him. /It's more than that. Something's on your mind...what is it/

/I was just thinking about Kaiba's little brother, Mokuba. When he was with us, something about it felt...familiar, somehow./ Yugi explained.

Yami nodded. /Yes...I felt it, too. I'm sure we have seen him before, though I can't recall where./

Yugi sighed. /It's just strange that we never knew that Kaiba even had a little brother, before./

/Indeed...Kaiba is quite a mystery. Perhaps in time we'll figure out this puzzle, together./ Yami smiled.

Yugi smiled, back, replying. /Uh-huh/

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

This was just not Kaiba's day. Since it was still early, the limo driver assumed Kaiba would not be out yet and went to have the all their limos checked out. It would be at least another hour in a half before one would be over to pick him up. Giving up, Kaiba began to walk home, Mokuba still in his arm that was beginning to feel tired carrying him.

He had finally switched arms after walking down the street of Domino. As he did, Kaiba suddenly looked up, having his attention somehow drawn to the nearby window of a peddler's shop. In the window on display seemed to be an old box. But what caught his eye was the Blue Eyes White Dragon it had decorated on the top of it.

As if on automatic, for some reason he moved straight to the peddler's door and went inside, approaching the desk. He couldn't even reason why he did it...he just did.

The shopkeeper looked up from his desk, and asked, "Hello there, young man...can I help you?"

"I want to see that box." Kaiba told him calmly. "The one on display with the Blue Eyes White Dragon on it."

"The box on display..." the man said, curiously. He then pulled the box from the window, and asked, "Do you mean this one?"

Kaiba silently nodded, as he looked over the box. It was quite an ancient Egyptian relic, with jewels encrusted on the box, accenting the BEWD even more. Kaiba didn't know why he felt so drawn to the item. He never felt so compelled to have something since that time he saw the 4th BEWD card from Yugi's grandfather's shop...something he definitely didn't want to ever repeat again.

Either way, a box with his favorite dragon on it he couldn't help but be curious what was in it? So putting down his briefcase, he lamely attempted to open the box with his left hand...failing miserably.

"That task might go easier young man if you used both hands." The store owner said, thinking, 'Not that you will be able to open it even then...few have ever successfully opened it.'

His words brought Kaiba's attention immediately back to the man. Kaiba glared down at him, snapping, "Are you blind or just stupid? Can't you see I don't have two hands to use?" Kaiba said, irritated at this man's attempt at sarcasm. "So why don't you make yourself more useful, and show me what's in the box..." saying it more as an order than a request.

"I'm afraid I can not do that, young man."

"And just why not?" Kaiba demanded furiously.

"You see, this isn't just any ordinary box. Legend has it that there's some powerful magic locked away inside. Only those chosen may open the box!"

"Yeah, whatever. I didn't come here for fairytales..." Kaiba snapped. Then after a pause, he asked, "So what if you're not chosen and open it? Is a dragon suppose to come out and eat you?" mocking the man's story.

"That's not possible...unless you're chosen, you simply can't open the box." the man stated.

Though Kaiba still felt the strong pull from the box, the man was pissing him off. Besides, why did he feel he wanted that box in the first place? Since Duel Monsters were so popular, every peddler out there normally tried to decorate their things with Duel Monster's symbols to create a bigger demand and get a higher price. So why was this item any different than those other scams?

"Forget it...I'm out of here." Kaiba finally said, making himself turn, and actually exerting his mind in order to force himself to walk away.

At that, the peddler quickly said, "No wait...you mustn't go! You were obviously drawn to this box, so you must be the chosen one!" As he did, the peddler tried to grab Kaiba's arm, to stop him from leaving.

Kaiba jerked his hand away from him, and hissed, "Don't ever touch me again!" his eyes like ice.

The man froze for a moment, fearful from Kaiba's glare. But as the man released Kaiba, he calmed down. Kaiba then turned the man's way, and said, "Hmph...you think that pathetic nonsense you told me is going to sucker me in? Maybe you don't know who you're talking to. Chosen one...give me a break. I guarantee if you take a sledge hammer to that box, we'd see just how easy it is for any person to get that thing open."

"...big brother?" Mokuba's weak voice suddenly said, getting Kaiba's attention. Kaiba looked over at his brother, as Mokuba asked, "What's going on?"

"It's nothing Mokuba, just go back to sleep." Kaiba said, trying to sound as cool and calm as he could, so he'd listen. But Mokuba had already spotted the box and pointed to it.

"Hey, Seto...look! That box has a Blue Eyes White Dragon on it...are you going to get it?"

"Why should I? Half the trinkets in Domino have duel monsters plastered to them. Besides, what would we do with a stupid box, anyway?" Kaiba said, unsure if he was saying it to convince Mokuba or himself.

"Well, what's in it?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba gritted his teeth, tempted to go off about the stupid store keeper who was too superstitious or simply too lazy to open it for them, but instead snapped, "How should I know?" Then reminding himself he was talking to Mokuba, Kaiba said more calmly, "My hands are little occupied, incase you haven't noticed..." giving his younger brother a slight smile.

Mokuba giggled at that, saying, "Sorry...I guess I got tired. I can stand, now."

"Are you sure?" Kaiba asked, being a bit over-protective.

"Seto..." Mokuba said.

Kaiba smiled and put him down. He needed to get Mokuba home, but also knew his brother well. Standing here arguing about it wasn't going to get Mokuba home any sooner, and technically...it was his fault for being in this shop in the first place. So Kaiba decided he might as well get it over with.

Kaiba brought his hands to the box, trying to work on it to open it, but had little success.

The shop owner was actually surprised, certain that maybe Kaiba was the chosen one for that object since he seemed drawn to the item, but then wondered if maybe he was mistaken.

With further examination, Kaiba said, "The lock looks rusted. Where's the key?"

"I'm afraid that was lost many years ago." The old man said sadly.

"Get it anyway, Seto. I'm sure you could find something to open it up with at home." Mokuba said.

Kaiba sighed, "Fine, whatever...I'll take it." At this point, Kaiba no longer cared if he was oddly drawn to this object or not. He needed to get Mokuba home, and the sooner he did...the better. Even if nothing was in there, he could always give it to Mokuba to play around with.

"But you didn't ask how much it is." the shopkeeper said.

Kaiba glared at him. "Do I look like I care?" He put his credit card down, as the shopkeeper rang up $45. And just as he got the bag, it began to thunder out and the rain began to fall. 'Wonderful.' Kaiba thought, feeling guilty for coming here in the first place, when he should have brought Mokuba straight home.

"Oh here, you can have this umbrella." The old man said, handing him an old looking one. "Wouldn't want the little one here to make his cold any worse out in the rain, now would we?"

Kaiba glared at the old man, asking, "What do you want for it?"

"Oh, no...no charge young man. Just getting yourselves home safely is all I ask."

Right...if there's one thing Kaiba hated more than anything, it was someone offering him some so-called charity. Especially from a peddler, who would probably come back later, thinking Kaiba owed him something. Well, he didn't have time to quibble on a price, but would still make sure the guy fully understood that there would be no favors. Kaiba snatched it coldly, saying, "I'll take this item, but only because of the ridiculous price you charged me for some rusted broken box. Consider us even...got it?"

Before the man could even answer, Kaiba turned to his brother, saying, "Let's go, Mokuba." and headed out in the rain, little brother in tow.

Despite Kaiba's rudeness, Mokuba waved to the man as they left, carrying the box as they headed back down the street.

After they left, a young teenage woman came out from behind, asking, "Grandfather who was that?"

"A young man just left, after buying the treasure box."

The woman laughed at that, saying, "The crazy things you sell, grandfather. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want that...it was so ugly."

The old man paused, thinking, "Now that you mention it, they kept saying there was some kind of a dragon on the box."

"A dragon?" she asked.

"Yes, I think he called it a blue eyes white dragon."

"That's silly." she exclaimed. "If it had a Duel Monster on the box, even I would have kept it."

"I'm not sure what exactly a duel monster is, but your right. I don't ever remember seeing a dragon on there before. In fact, they both seemed to claim there was a dragon on it, and were very interested in it. Perhaps he really is the one chosen to open that box..."

"Oh, grandpa...enough of your crazy stories." his granddaughter said, going in the back of the store, once again.

The grandfather looked out the store, and nodded. 'Yes...perhaps you are the one, indeed.'


	5. Chapter 5

Halfway home Mokuba, holding his brothers hand, started to lean on him more. Kaiba looked down and as much as he hated the idea of carrying Mokuba again, the kid looked as though he'd fall over if Seto didn't. He stopped and silently scooped the boy up into his arms.

After what seemed like forever, the Kaiba brothers finally made it home. Kaiba handed his things to the servants to take care of, as he took Mokuba to his room and set him down gently on his bed.

As he did that, Mokuba woke up. "Are we home already, big brother?" he asked; yawning and rubbing his blinking eyes.

Kaiba handed Mokuba's pajamas to him, answering, "Yes. Now, change into your pajamas and I'll be right back."

Mokuba nodded and started to change. Kaiba left his brother's room and went to the hall bathroom, where he kept all the medicine and first aid equipment. He took out what he needed, filled a glass of water, and returned to see Mokuba sitting on the edge of his bed now dressed in his pajamas. He set the things on Mokuba's nightstand and helped him into the bed.

"Now first let's take your temperature." Kaiba said; placing the thermometer into Mokuba's mouth and shaking up the bottle of Tylenol to get it ready. After a moment, he took out the thermometer.

"Well Seto, what is now? The nurse said it was 100." Mokuba asked.

"Well its now 101." Answered Kaiba.

Mokuba was a little depressed hearing that; he had been hoping it would go down not up. He didn't like being sick. It was true that he got to see his brother more, but it was no fun to see his brother when he felt sick. Besides, it only made Mokuba feel guilty that his illness was keeping his brother from working.

"Okay Mokuba, open up." Kaiba said, holding up a spoonful of Tylenol for him to take.

"Do I have to take it, Seto?" whined Mokuba.

"It's either this or I get out the children's aspirin." Kaiba said, knowing his little brother hated swallowing pills. Mokuba just huffed a little before taking the medicine and washing it down with water. "One more time." Kaiba said giving him another spoonful. "See...that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep, Seto?" asked Mokuba hopefully.

"Of course! What would you say if I borrowed your desk and worked on my laptop in here?" replied Kaiba.

"Really, Seto? You'd stay in the room with me?" asked Mokuba, hardly daring to believe it.

"Unless you think my typing is going to disturb you." Kaiba answered.

"No, it's all right big brother. It'll just be a reminder that you're in the room with me." Mokuba said, smiling.

"All right, I'll start after you've gone to sleep." With that said, Kaiba tucked his brother in, and gave a small kiss on the forehead. "Now get some rest."

"Thanks, Seto...I love you." Mokuba answered, his eyelids already drooping.

Kaiba stayed in his brother's room until Mokuba fell asleep. After Mokuba finally began to sleep soundly, he went downstairs and went through his things to make sure he didn't forget anything that he needed to work on.

As Kaiba shuffled through his belongings, he found the box that they had bought earlier that day. Kaiba examined it in fascination for a moment, curious to see what was inside for some reason. But he quickly pushed it aside...Mokuba was far more important to deal with right now, than some box.

He placed it on the table, muttering, "Stupid thing...I'll deal with it later." Kaiba then grabbed his briefcase and went back to Mokuba's room to work.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Inside the box, two separate entities conversed with each other, after Kaiba had left.

"It's not possible. No one can resist the magical urge to open the box. How could he simply walk away like that?" The male wondered.

"Perhaps you're losing your touch." The female mused.

"No, there's something strange about that one. He's different from the others." The male said, thoughtful.

"Then why did you choose him?" The female asked, annoyed.

"Me? I thought you chose him, he seems your type." The male said.

"Well that may be true, but I didn't have a thing to do with it." The female said.

"Then he must possess unseen magic or has a connection to strong magic, and the power of the box itself chose him." The male said.

"But that hasn't happened since..." The female said.

"Since the pharaoh sealed you away into this box with me." The male said.

"Yes and just who was it that angered the pharaoh enough, to get me stuck in here in the first place!" The female snapped.

"You are the one who foolishly threw yourself at the pharaoh, after being caught trying to steal this box. A whore and a thief...what an interesting combination of traits you possess..." the male mocked.

The woman hissed, "Let's not start this again...this quarrel is pointless. Either way, the time of the Pharaoh has long since passed, millennia ago. So why now, after so long, would the box itself choose someone?"

"It obviously has its reasons. We will simply have to wait and see.." the male answered.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

It was morning, but it still looked like night. The rain was coming down in buckets, and the wind was blowing it around so hard that the lights were flickering, causing the emergency power to kick on a couple times.

It didn't help Kaiba's mood much. He had no intention on going to school or work today because of Mokuba's health, and with this storm, it would ensure very few of his employees would actually be going to work today.

After Kaiba finished breakfast, Marci fixed breakfast for Mokuba. As she did, she muttered, "That is one heck of a downpour, today. Those ocean storms can be something, at times. Hope there's not too much flooding from it."

Kaiba ignored her, finishing his coffee in silence.

Being used to Kaiba not responding, she continued like nothing, as she turned to face him and asked, "So how is Master Mokuba doing, sir? I told him he should have stayed home yesterday."

"You knew he was sick and still you let him go to school?" Kaiba asked. Now she had his attention.

"Well sir, I tried and pleaded with him not to go. He's a lot like you in that sense...once his mind is made up, that's it. He continually said he had to go; he had a class project to do. I told him we should have called you, but he refused."

"Don't place opinions on me or my brother's personality...it's not proper, no matter how long you've worked here." Kaiba snapped, even more irritated that Marci let Mokuba go then with what she was actually saying to him. But he couldn't blame her for that. She was right...Mokuba could be very stubborn when he wanted to be.

"Yes, Master Kaiba." she nodded, knowing when to say as little as possible.

"If his breakfast is ready, I'll take it up to him...it's time for his medicine, anyway." Kaiba said.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

After the maid gave Mokuba's breakfast to Kaiba, he brought it up to his room, and placed it down for him to eat. He then gently woke him, saying, "Mokuba...wake up."

Yet, as Mokuba began to wake and pull himself up, it only worried Kaiba more...his face looked a lot paler now than it did yesterday. Mokuba smelled the food, and muttered, "I'm not very hungry..."

"We need to take your temperature first, anyway." he said. Once again, Kaiba placed the thermometer in his mouth. After a minute, it was taken out, and Kaiba read it. "102." Kaiba quietly muttered with growing worry, but kept calm so Mokuba wouldn't notice his concern. But then noticing his brother didn't ask him what it said, Kaiba turned to look at his brother. The poor kid didn't seem to even register anything, just staring off into space like a zombie.

Kaiba then woke Mokuba enough to give him his medicine, and despite his protests...Kaiba forced him to eat something, too. Then after, Mokuba went back to sleep. From there, Kaiba went straight to the nearest phone to call the doctor. There was some fizzling on the other side, with one ring. Then right after, it clicked to a strange sounding busy signal...which normally meant there were problems with the line, and it was obviously due to the storm.

Kaiba slammed the phone down in frustration. Then pulling out his cell phone, he tried that but the phone was dead. "Damn it!" Kaiba swore, and then turned his head quickly to make sure he was far enough from Mokuba's room that his kid-brother wouldn't hear, as an automatic response.

Kaiba hung up his cell phone, taking into consideration what to do about this. Should he call his security, and force one of them to drag someone from Kaiba Corp over here? Given, that might be a little extreme and might make him look like he was being perhaps a bit over-protective and worrying too much for his brother...'again'. And it wouldn't be the first time, either. When it came to Mokuba, Kaiba always had a tendency to be perhaps just a little over-protective.

But making up his mind, Kaiba decided, 'Too damn bad. He's the only family I've got left, and I'm going to make sure he's okay. If they don't like it, they can find another job.'

Kaiba moved to his office, and pressed the intercom, calling, "Security."

"Mr. Kaiba?" the officer called.

"Who's down there?" he asked.

"Just me, sir. Due to the storm, the others couldn't make it. Is there something wrong?" the guard asked.

"Yes...Mokuba's sick. I need you to make a run to find one of Kaiba Corp's doctors and send him down here to check on him. And make sure he understands refusing is not an option." Kaiba ordered in a dangerous voice.

The security stuttered, "B-but...I have to drive in this storm?"

"Was I not speaking clearly enough for you?" Kaiba asked in annoyance.

"No, sir...I mean, yes sir!" the security answered quickly. "But...I'm the only one here. If I go sir, you will be left with no one to watch the house."

"I doubt there's going to be anyone wandering around in this storm. Even the nut cases will stay inside today. Just do as you're ordered and we'll be fine." Kaiba commanded him.

"Yes, sir. I'll bring one of the doctors here as soon as I can." the security said, as Kaiba turned off the intercom. Now all alone in his office, Kaiba slumped in his chair feeling temporarily helpless. He wanted to help his brother, but was forced into a waiting game. Suddenly, something caught his eye and he turned to notice...the box.

"How did this get here?" Kaiba asked aloud. He remembered that was still downstairs. As he thought about this, Marci immediately came to mind. After all, it was quite normal for Marci to put any belongings away that are left lying around.

He sighed, looking over the box. Deciding he had nothing better to do but worry anyway, it would be a good time to try and open the box. He could always try and do more work, but with the power on the fritz, it would be dumb to power up anything not absolutely necessary...so the laptop was out.

Kaiba pulled out a paper clip and quickly got to work on the lock. He ended up using several different things to try to get it open, but after an hour, he was still unable to get it open. It was pissing him off even more, and he finally slammed the latest thing down that he was using to try and pry it open, snapping, "Damn it, I wish this thing would just open!"

But that wasn't really it, either. He wasn't angry about the box...he was worried about Mokuba, and angry that the security guard hadn't come back with that doctor, yet. For all he knew, his order might have caused the security guard to get killed, flying off the road in the storm. Perhaps it was irresponsible of him to ask that of his guard, but he didn't like seeing his brother at a 102 temperature. He didn't remember his brother ever having a fever that high, before.

Suddenly, snapping him out of train of thought, Kaiba heard glass break. Immediately, he considered a break-in, and after foolishly having the one guard leave. He quickly moved to check on Mokuba, before considering anything else...which led Kaiba to find the reason for the glass breaking. Mokuba was hunched-down, with the remains of a water glass in pieces next to him...and he was slowly picking the pieces up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kaiba asked.

"I'm sorry...I dropped my water glass. I'm cleaning it up." Mokuba said, sounding rather weak.

"Don't be ridiculous." Kaiba snapped. "Drop the pieces and get back into bed...you're going to cut yourself. I'll take care of it. Now, get into bed."

"Okay." Mokuba muttered, doing as he's told. "But I'm still thirsty..."

"I'll get you some water." Kaiba said.

Kaiba went downstairs to the kitchen. He passed Marci, ordering her, "There's broken glass in Mokuba's room...it needs to be cleaned up." as he grabbed a glass; this time, a plastic one instead of glass.

"Yes, master Kaiba." she said, and brought her cleaning things upstairs, while Kaiba filled the glass with ice and poured some fresh water. By the time he reached Mokuba's bedroom, the maid had already finished cleaning and left the room.

Kaiba gave Mokuba his water, letting him drink it, and then tucked him back into bed. He looked down at Mokuba with sadness in his eyes. Mokuba looked so weak and miserable...the kid was always smiling and so full of life. He hated to see his brother sick like that.

Going into his brother's bathroom, he then grabbed a washcloth and wet it up. Then going back into his room, he cleaned his brother's face off, and put it on his head to try and cool his temperature down a little. Kaiba sat down on Mokuba's bed, taking his hand. "I'm sorry I haven't spent much time with you, lately. It seems the only time I normally get with you is when you're sick. It's been real tough for me lately, but I'll try and do better. I'll spend more time with you...I promise. Somehow, I'll find a way..."

Another promise made...would he break this one, too? He always tried so hard to keep every promise he made, an obligation that had to be carried out. He couldn't always keep them though, and regretted every time he didn't. But this was one promise he felt he had to keep. He wanted to see Mokuba when he smiled and laughed, not miserable and weak. Not like this.

Not wanting to disturb his brother any longer, Kaiba returned to his office, intending on playing with the box again. Yet, to his surprise, the box was unlocked and slightly ajar. Kaiba blinked, looking down at it in confusion. 'Maybe the lock mechanism broke.' he thought. 'Maybe I was too hard on it.' He took a seat, and opened the box to peer inside...finding nothing but scattered pieces of gold dust.

Kaiba reached in, picking the dust up and letting it fall between his fingers, as he considered if it's real gold or simply just glitter. That instant, he sensed movement nearby, and tilted his head slightly to see two people behind him.

One was a woman, and one a male...both wearing odd Egyptian clothing. Immediately, Kaiba began to wonder how these people got into his house, why they weren't wet, how long they have been in here, and why in the world did he let the security guard go...leaving him alone to possibly have to fight these two?

Kaiba gave a smirk, saying calmly, "It must have taken some skill to get in here without being noticed. How long have you been here? What do you want?" As Kaiba asked this, he glanced down at one of his drawers, considering pulling out a weapon he had hidden. But, the intruders showed no sign of weapons themselves…at least not yet. Of course, that didn't mean they didn't possess any.

"Calm yourself, sir. I am Ajin and this is my assistant Aiko. As for how we got here, we are the keepers of the magic box, and it has chosen you."

Kaiba gave a slight chuckle, and turned to face his intruders. "So...what loony bin did you two escape out of? You're not actually expecting me to buy that load of nonsense, are you?"

"But, it is true." Aiko said.

"We are unclear as to why the box has actually chosen you, but it never does without a reason. Perhaps it heard your wish." Ajin said.

"Wish?" Kaiba asked in confusion. "What wish? I didn't wish anything..."

"You have actually made a total of two wishes. The second was to have the magic box open, in which the box granted it freely since you are the chosen one. You should feel honored...the magic box doesn't normally grant wishes so easily, without a catch." Aiko said.

Kaiba thought for a minute, and then suddenly something came to his mind. "You two have something to do with that crazy old man I bought this from, don't you? Is that what this is all about? What is this, some kind of scam?"

"Scam?" Ajin asked.

At that point, the woman began to approach, sensing something. As she did, Kaiba immediately brought his hand up, saying, "I wouldn't consider approaching any closer if I were you...not without something dangerous to back it up. You obviously don't know who you're dealing with!"

"Oh, but I do...I just remembered now. How could I have not seen it before?" Aiko asked him. "You have the look, even the very arrogance of the man I used to sleep with. It's no wonder the box chose you...you're the High Priest Seth!"

"What? You had a fling with him?" Ajin asked.

"Well I supposed it would have been his past self, but yes...I had a fling with the High Priest. Of course, only the two of us knew this, since it was a secret." Aiko said

"But then, why were you throwing yourself onto the pharaoh?" Ajin asked

"Simple...I thought he caught me stealing. How was I to know that when I tried to steal you, it would anger him so greatly that he would trap me in the box with you?"

"Serves you right for trying to steal me." Ajin said

During the time these two strangers were arguing about the past, Kaiba was getting angrier. He was about to blow up at them, when their words seemed to create strange flashes and pictures into his mind. A moment of him in bed with a woman...that very woman standing before him right now, arguing with Ajin. Another flash...this time, she held a box in her hand, and Yami was yelling at her, absolutely furious. The puzzle around his neck glowed and the woman cried out, dropping to her knees. In his vision, Kaiba was shouting something at Yami. He was upset that Yami had taken her away...away from him. But he could never tell the Pharaoh, never tell him about his secret relationship between him and...

Kaiba gripped his head and frantically shook the images from his mind, confused from what he was seeing. After he stopped, he looked back up to see them looking over at him.

"My priest...do you remember?" Aiko asked, Ajin not looking happy with her talking to Kaiba as if she served him just as loyally, even now.

"I...need to check on something." Kaiba said, quickly walking from the room to avoid them, avoid any more confusing thoughts going through his head. And he went straight to Mokuba's room, desperately needing his brother's strength at this moment.

Under any other circumstance, Kaiba would never even consider approaching his brother's room with unknown strangers in his house. He would never dare lead any possible threat to his brother. But after the images he received, he had a feeling that they would not harm Mokuba. Especially Aiko...he felt she was safe, and would never dare harm Mokuba.

Kaiba brought his hand down, taking his brother's hand, as he looked down at Mokuba...his little brother felt so warm to the touch.

Though his eyes were still closed, Mokuba weakly asked, "What's wrong, big brother?" It was amazing that even when sick, Mokuba somehow sensed when his brother was stressed and needed him.

Kaiba smiled down at him, saying, "It's nothing. Don't worry yourself...get some rest, you'll be fine." Kaiba took the thermometer again, and said, "I'm just going to take your temperature, okay?" After he took it, it now said 102.5...it was still getting worse.

Kaiba silently cursed to himself, as he took it out, saying, "Get some sleep now, Mokuba...you'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Thanks, Seto." Mokuba said tiredly, already beginning to doze off again. Kaiba kissed him on the forehead, replacing the wet rag with a fresh one, and went back to the office where the two strangers still were.

Kaiba had hoped it was his imagination, and they'd simply be gone...but no such luck. And he hated staring at the woman, because it only made him see more confusing images. He gave them both a cold glare, saying nothing to them, then went back to the phone to try again to call for a doctor...hoping the storm would subside enough to get through, this time.


	6. Chapter 6

The phones were still out. Kaiba slammed the phone down in frustration, half tempted to wish a doctor here and see what these weirdoes would do. Would a doctor come, or would one of them pretend to be a doctor? But Kaiba didn't have to consider such an absurd idea for long, as he noticed out the window the security guard had finally come back...the doctor was here.

"Only an hour and a half later." Kaiba muttered, irritably. "Even in the rain he should have been quicker than this. He better have a damn good excuse for it."

"Do these people irritate you? I'd be more than happy to get rid of them, with a simple wish." Ajin offered, with a sparkle in his eye at the thought.

"No thanks...you two stay put." Kaiba said, and headed out of the office to greet the doctor.

At the front lobby, the security and doctor entered, both drenched to find a very angered and impatient Kaiba, with his arms crossed glaring down at them from the top of the stairs.

They both immediately stood at attention, bowing to him in respect. "Mr. Kaiba, sir...we are here." the security muttered.

"It's about time. What took you so long?" Kaiba snapped.

"Forgive us, sir." the security said. "None of the doctors were at Kaiba Corp. I had to track one down at his home and pick him up."

Dr. Thompson moved up the stairs, asking, "If I may ask, Mr. Kaiba...what is the trouble with the patient?"

"Mokuba has a fever...a very high one." Kaiba said. He paused for a moment, glaring down at both of them, then turned, saying, "Come with me...you can see him for yourself."

This gave the security guard an opening to leave with haste back to his patrol area, and avoid any threats from his boss for now.

As Kaiba turned to head up the stairs, he abruptly stopped to see both Aiko and Ajin there. Before Kaiba could speak, Aiko quickly said, "Do not be concerned, Kaiba...no one else can see us except for you."

"Mr. Kaiba...is something wrong?" the doctor asked.

Kaiba glanced back over at the doctor, who seemed to show no signs of noticing the two in front of him. "No...let's keep going." Kaiba said, ignoring the two as he continued to Mokuba's room. As he walked, Kaiba began to question himself. He had believed them to be real...given, they were weirdoes but he never questioned them to be anything else but two strangely dressed people. Now Kaiba was beginning to wonder if he had imagined them up. After all, he had little sleep last night worrying about Mokuba, he's been working himself constantly, taking care of Mokuba, going to school, trying to help his brother now that he was sick...maybe the pressure was finally starting to get to him.

Not worrying about that for the moment, he brought the doctor into the room where Mokuba was sleeping.

The doctor examined Mokuba, and then asked, "How long has he been like this?"

"One of the maids said he seemed a bit warm yesterday and other than being tired, he seemed fairly okay. Today he just seems to be getting worse. I could barely get him to eat anything for breakfast."

"I see." The doctor said taking his temperature. "Well, his temperature is a bit high. Perhaps you should take him to the hospital, so I can run some tests."

"Is it that severe?" Kaiba asked, concerned.

"Well, I won't know that till I take a blood sample and run the tests. But from what you've told me, I'm fairly confident that it's just a virus."

"Then why does he have to go to the hospital?" Kaiba asked. He hated hospitals. In his opinion, nothing good could come out of them. His mother went into the hospital to have Mokuba and never came out. His father he was told was seriously injured in a car accident and was taken to the hospital and he never came out. The last thing he wanted was to risk putting Mokuba in one, unless he had to in fear of him not coming back out!

"Well I don't suppose it would hurt anything for the moment to allow him to remain here. It is raining pretty hard, after all." The doctor then started writing something down. After he was finished, he ripped the paper off the pad he was writing on and handed Kaiba the paper. "Have this prescription filled in the meantime. I'm going to take a slight blood sample from him now, if that's okay with you, sir. Then I can take it back with me and run some tests on it. And if the fever gets any worse or any other symptoms arise, be sure to call me tomorrow."

"Fine." Kaiba said, taking the paper. Kaiba then moved down and woke Mokuba up. "Come on, kiddo...the doctor's here. He needs to take a blood test."

Mokuba whined, "I don't like those things..."

"I'm sorry kid...it has to be done." Kaiba said. He stayed right by Mokuba's side, as the doctor took a sample of blood, as well as a saliva sample. He had them properly wrapped, and then Kaiba led him back down to the main foyer.

After Kaiba called the security back, he said, "Here...take this prescription over with Dr. Thompson to Kaiba Corp. While the doctor's going through his tests, have this filled and return it immediately. Make sure to be back here as soon as possible."

"Yes sir, right away Mr. Kaiba."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Once they were gone, Kaiba returned to his office to see the weirdoes back there again. He eyed them curiously, wondering if they were real or not. And again, as he looked over at Aiko, he could hear Yami sentencing her judgment as a thief to the shadow realm.

In her desperate attempt to be spared, she grabbed onto the pharaoh, pressing her lips against his...but was quickly dragged away from him by the guards. Now he was even more furious with her, and took back his last judgment. "You like this treasure so much, thief? Fine...I'll even make you a part of it."

The whole time she was sentenced, she never looked at Kaiba, never pleaded with him for her life, despite the fact that she had gone to bed with him more than one occasion. Seth...the High Priest of the Pharaoh, that would be in great trouble if others knew he had invited a thief into the castle for his own personal pleasures. And despite her bravery and loyalty to protect him, he never looked at her, never considered even once to help her from the predicament that technically he got her into.

'I wonder if she holds a grudge against me.' Kaiba wondered for a moment...but only a moment. He quickly caught himself and mentally shook the thought away. She wasn't real, none of them were real. This was all in his head; the stress was simply too much for him.

Kaiba turned away from them quickly and took a seat, trying to pretend they didn't exist.

At that point, Ajin decided to speak. "Seeing as you have time before that man returns, how about I fulfill your first wish?" Ajin asked him.

"What wish would that be?" Kaiba asked blankly, not showing a fraction of the hardness he held like the last time they spoke. What was the sense of putting up his defenses against something he made up?

"The wish that you lived a normal life with your parents." Ajin said

Kaiba turned to them quickly. "What? But how did you...?" 'Did you forget already? They're not real!' his logical side scolded him. He then gave a smirk, saying, "Never mind." It made perfect sense. After all, it was something he was thinking about earlier that day.

"Hmph...it was a foolish thought. When it comes to my family, there's no such thing as normal. And nothing can be gained unless it's earned, anyway. What do you plan on doing about it if I did accept that wish, raise them from the dead?" Kaiba asked with sarcasm, looking out the window at the pouring rain.

"The box makes us like genies, allowing us to grant wishes...even unspoken ones. Though, raising your parents from the dead wasn't exactly my intention, Kaiba...or perhaps I should call you Seto?" Ajin asked.

"Kaiba is fine." He replied, frowning.

"Very well, Kaiba. I am unable to bring back the dead...only true Jinks' are capable of bringing back the dead. Besides, it would only cause chaos and not be truly granting your wish. No, I will instead open a portal to another dimension in which your parents never died. However, if I grant you the memories of that world, you will have difficulty sorting out which memory goes to which reality. Instead to help give you time to better adjust in that world, you will have had an accident. Of course, you will have to claim to have lost your memory, and pretend to be slowly recovering from it. This will explain your current personality, so that it won't throw that world too off balance."

"Yeah, whatever." Kaiba muttered, having no clue what he was talking about. 'Different dimensions, feh! I suppose only I could be insane enough to think up something as complex as that...'

"Hmm...so you do not believe that we are real." Aiko stated, amused. He didn't have to say it. Besides being capable of reading the minds of others, she could simply tell by the way he was acting. Just as some of his memories of her were coming back to him, details of them together were quickly returning to her as well, now that she recognized him. 'It's been so long, my priest...'

"Perhaps you need proof of our existence. I could simply destroy the house. Would that prove to you that we are real?" Ajin asked.

"No, Ajin! That would not do anything to prove your point...it would only serve to irritate him and possibly harm him or the little one upstairs." Aiko said.

Kaiba turned, immediately glaring ice at Ajin. As he did, Kaiba once again began to question himself on his latest theory. After all, if they were created from his imagination, then why would he make up someone to threaten his own brother? That made no sense...even 'he' wouldn't be that insane. He would never allow harm to come to Mokuba...never again.

Ajin glared coldly at Aiko for daring to speak up against him even in the slightest. But he then glanced back over at Kaiba, deciding perhaps she was right in one way. Perhaps he 'should' rethink his strategy. After all, if Kaiba had any past memories of the magic his former self once yielded, Ajin certainly wouldn't want the wrath of the High Priest against him. For all he knew, perhaps he still possessed the Millennium Rod. And if the box served him, even worse. Was it worth the risk? For now, Ajin decided he would play the passive servant, until he got rid of him.

"The little one...of course, I would never dream of harming such a darling child." Ajin said. Then bowing to Kaiba, he added, "And I certainly wouldn't want to enrage the wish maker."

Aiko eyed him suspiciously. It was not normal for Ajin to care about angering the wish-maker. He didn't care about anyone. If anything, time had only made him more and more evil trapped in this box. Aiko was in fact concerned about Seto's safety, with Ajin released. 'What are you planning, now?' she wondered.

Even with her own powers, she was no match for Ajin, who was simply too powerful for her. 'My priest, I will do all I can to help protect you and the little one...but I can only do so much. Could the box have chosen you because you were once the High Priest, or is it something different? Perhaps it has sensed the evil that has grown inside Ajin, which only seems to be getting stronger. Maybe the box feels you can somehow stop him...only time will tell.' Aiko thought.

Either way, Ajin's words seemed to calm Kaiba down. He turned away, saying, "So, you'd toss me into some dimension where I'd see my so-called biological parents, huh? This whole idea sounds absurd. I have no intention of abandoning my brother."

"Abandoning? But he would be there." Ajin told him with an evil smirk.

Kaiba glanced at him, hearing this...seeming to be considering Ajin's suggestion.

"Wouldn't you want that, Kaiba? It's why you wished it, after all. A chance for you and your brother to see and be with your parents again, if they had lived. Don't you think your brother deserves that?" Ajin asked.

'What if it's real?' Kaiba wondered to himself. 'No...Nothing comes without a price. Nothing is handed to you...this is a trick.' Kaiba now turned his full attention to Ajin, suddenly taking this as some kind of game. He wouldn't say no, yet. He wanted to know what Ajin really wanted.

"All right...let's say I believe you, and you send me to this so-called paradise. Then again, maybe it isn't paradise. My parents are dead, and you inadvertently threatened my brother once. Maybe this is just another way of saying you plan to kill me, by 'joining my parents'." Kaiba stated.

"Not at all. That I promise you, Kaiba...it is not death I am here to bring you, merely your wish. And your parents would be alive indeed, that I guarantee." Ajin said. 'Though, I have to admit, such an idea would be most amusing. Too bad I didn't think that up, originally.' he thought. But he already had the idea set what he was going to do...he couldn't change it once it was offered.

"So, what do you get out of this arrangement?" Kaiba asked.

"Temporary freedom from the box." Ajin said. "Is that all?"

"If I agreed to such a thing, maybe when I went there I decided it's not as glamorous as I had hoped. Then what? What if I don't want to stay?" Kaiba asked.

"Well, in that case...I'd say I can give you two weeks in that world to decide and choose." Ajin said.

Kaiba considered what he said, then turned away. "I'll think about it. You can go, now...go hide back in your box or whatever."

Ajin frowned at that, stating, "And what's wrong with not doing this now?"

Kaiba glanced back towards him. "Well, Ajin...you see, I already have a life. And in this life, I have responsibilities that come first. I have a company to run, and a sick brother to take care of. Leaving that for 2 weeks is out of the question."

"That's not a problem, at all. Though you still get two weeks in the other world to decide, in this world you will only be gone for two hours, to decide to either stay or return. You must choose, or it will be chosen by your hearts desire by midnight on the final night. If your hearts desire is to return to this world then it shall be done. If not, this world will disappear and you'll remain in that world forever. I'll give you an hour to decide." Ajin said.

"Fine." Kaiba said as he heard the door open. Kaiba turned, surprised to see the security guard already returned with the medicine.

"That was faster than expected." Kaiba muttered.

The security nodded. "Fortunately, the storm is finally beginning to let us, sir."

"Good job." Kaiba said, standing as he took the medicine from his security.

The man bowed, saying, "Thank you, mister Kaiba." and left the room.

During the short time the guard was there, once again Kaiba noticed the security never glanced towards either Aiko or Ajin even once...as if they weren't even there, just like Aiko said. It was a reminder to Kaiba that if he was the only person that could see him, then indeed they couldn't be real. 'Of course. Then they really are my imagination.' he thought.

Now totally convinced that they were only in his head, Kaiba then left the room himself, heading to Mokuba's room.

After he left, Aiko turned to Ajin, saying, "He would not be with his brother...'his' brother would still be here."

"The brat's in that world, too. Maybe it's not the exactly same as his brother, but who cares...it's close enough." Ajin scoffed.

"You lied to him." Accused Aiko.

"I bent the truth." Ajin said. Then eyeing her, he asked, "Actually Aiko, you seemed to be awfully chummy with the priest I noticed. I certainly hope you sleeping with the man doesn't make you decide to be...foolish in forgetting whose side you're on. I know you wouldn't be stupid and dare to cross me."

"Of course not." Aiko lied. "I simply thought that rash actions would be foolish, and an utter waste of time."

"Time we have plenty of, my dear." Ajin smiled evilly. He turned away, saying, "Very well. But I am going to get these wishes over with, so don't interfere again."

Kaiba returned to his brother's room, and sat on the bed besides him. Mokuba couldn't take any more medicine for another two hours. Instead, Kaiba replaced the dried cloth on his head for a new one he brought with him from the hall bathroom, after wetting it up in the sink. He placed the new one on his forehead, and gently pulled back a few strands of his hair.

"Mokuba." Kaiba whispered, as he moved his hand to his brother's face, rubbing it gently against his cheek, feeling how warm he was from his fever. "The doctor's taking care of you...you'll be back to normal in a matter of days."


	7. Chapter 7

Despite the doctor now being involved, Kaiba still couldn't help but be overwhelmed with worry. 'I won't let anything happen to you.' Kaiba thought, as his hand came down and grabbed hold of Mokuba's hand.

"I hope I'm not upsetting this 'moment' between you and your bother." Ajin muttered, as he came into the room, Aiko behind him, watching from a distant.

"I don't want you in here. Leave now." Kaiba said, without bothering to look their way.

Ajin retorted, "But I thought you didn't believe we really exist. Does it matter if we're in here or not?"

"Yes." Kaiba said. "I just want to focus on Mokuba, right now."

"But you still have a wish that needs to be fulfilled." Ajin stated, persistent to get this over with.

"First of all, you don't exist. And what's the sense of agreeing to something that's not going to happen? Second of all...Mokuba comes first. This idea you made up focuses on my needs, not his...and I already told you, even if this was real, I will not abandon my brother no matter how short you make my supposed disappearance." Kaiba said, and turned back to focus on his brother.

Ajin said, "Ahh...but you forget, Kaiba. As I stated, Mokuba will be there, too. And in this dimension, he never gets sick like he is now, I guarantee it. Now...wouldn't you want to see Mokuba all healthy, like he was before? If you don't do this for yourself, surely you would do it for him, would you not?"

Kaiba turned to look at Ajin, smiling down at him.

"And if it's not real, why are you so afraid to make this wish...especially when it's for the sake of your brother?" Ajin asked, trying to inwardly hide his evil sneer.

Kaiba still seemed to be hesitating, probably because he still didn't entirely trust him. So Ajin added, "Surely, you would want to spend more time with your brother, now that he'll not be sick, wouldn't you? You probably get so little time with him in this universe..."

Kaiba closed his eyes, thinking of that. What could it hurt to agree, except to prove the futility of his own dreams? Yes, that had to be the reason why these two strangers were haunting him. It was his own self guilt getting to him since he never had the time to be with Mokuba except when he's sick, and then spends that time worrying over him. Otherwise, while Mokuba's healthy, he was working most of the time.

Kaiba began to think the only way he was going to get rid of these fantasy people was to accept, which to him would be like a mental promise to spend more time with his brother. He let out a sigh, deciding to humor them. "All right...let's say I agree to this. Then Mokuba becomes better and comes with me?"

"Er...well, not exactly." Ajin said, hoping Kaiba wasn't going to say something to force the truth out of him.

"But you said I'd see him there." Kaiba said.

"Oh, you will. Again, you're not actually agreeing to stay, yet. It's like a try-out period. Though your brother's sick here, you'll see him healthy there. Once you agree to stay, Mokuba will never get sick like this." Ajin said.

Aiko hated the way Ajin was deceiving him, but didn't say anything this time...fearful of Ajin's wrath.

"Then if he's sick here, I still can't go." Kaiba stated.

Ajin looked like he was about to explode, but forced himself to remain calm. Instead, he turned to Aiko, saying, "Aiko can care for the little one. The last person to open the magic box was a nurse and Aiko spent a lot of time with her. I'm sure she will have no trouble caring for the child."

With a glare from Ajin, Aiko approached next to Kaiba and replied with a bow, "It'd be my pleasure to care for him."

"You can discuss this with your new nurse, Kaiba. I'll wait for you in the living room to grant your first wish. Don't take too long." Ajin said. As he left, he left a mental note to Aiko, Now don't disappoint me, Aiko.

"So, now I'm supposed to have an imaginary nurse watch my brother. This gets even better." Kaiba mused. "There's a minor problem with that idea. Since you're not real, only I can see the two of you. What if you need to call a doctor or talk to someone that 'exists'?"

"Well, I can make myself visible if it's an emergency. It takes a lot more power but I can do it." Aiko said.

"Big brother...?" Mokuba weakly muttered, the conversation seeming to be waking him up.

Kaiba quickly turned away from the Aiko, as he replied, "Mokuba? Sorry if I woke you..."

"Who's that?" Mokuba asked, looking at Aiko next to him.

"Well, that's..." Kaiba began to say and stopped, looking at Mokuba, and then at Aiko - who for some reason looked as surprised as he did.

"You...you can..." Kaiba began to mutter but couldn't finish it, still wide-eyed. 'Then these two people really exist?' Covering quickly, Kaiba said, "This is Aiko. I have an errand to run and I'll be gone for about two hours. Aiko is going to stay with you, incase you need anything."

"Do you have to go, big brother?"

As Kaiba looked down at his brother, now all he could think of was Ajin's other world...the impossible promise. 'If two hours could make him perfectly healthy and have a chance to experience his real parents, isn't it worth the chance...a chance to undo everything that's been done to us, and give him a happiness he's never even experienced before?'

Kaiba then offered a smile to his brother, as he answered, "It's necessary. Don't worry...I'll be back before you know it."

Mokuba snuggled closer to him, grabbing onto his coat with a tight grip before going back to sleep. Kaiba held his brother close, then looked back over at Aiko. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Yes but…" Aiko started.

"But what?" Kaiba asked, still holding Mokuba.

"Well...I never made myself visible to him, yet. I don't understand how he was able to see me. And are YOU sure you want to do this...to leave him? What if something goes wrong? If you die in that world, you don't return to life in this one." Aiko told him.

Kaiba looked annoyed, but spoke softly so as not to disturb his brother. "What is with you two? One minute you're telling me to go, the next minute you're trying to convince me not to. Make up your mind."

"I merely wish to make sure this is what you want." Aiko stated.

Kaiba turned back to his brother, stroking his hair gently. "A world that can cure his illness, and give him back his parents...for him, I'll do whatever I have to."

Aiko looked worried, realizing Ajin's deception had worked its course, "But, Kaiba..."

"Enough of this, I'll take my chances!" Kaiba snapped, as he glared back at her...though keeping his voice down to a minimum.

Aiko smiled, "I understand. But you're still worried about him, aren't you? Worried about leaving him..."

Kaiba glared at her, and she could still feel his distrust, especially now since he was starting to believe in them. "What do you think?" he asked.

"Don't worry...I'm sure he'll be fine. And you won't need to worry about anyone getting in here to harm him. As long as I'm here, there will be a magic barrier protecting both him and this room. That way, no one you don't know will have access to this room, and no one with evil intentions will be allowed near him if he has to be moved." Aiko assured him, knowing now that Kaiba was beginning to believe they existed, he was especially concerned about Ajin's existence near Mokuba.

'Good guess.' Kaiba thought, puzzled by how well Aiko figured out what some of his concerns were, but never showed it on his face. He also seemed to trust her words when it came to her agreement to protect Mokuba. Maybe it was those strange memories he experienced, but he truly felt she posed no threat to his brother. Kaiba got up to leave, but found himself unable to since Mokuba was clinging to his coat, still asleep.

Aiko noticed it and smiled. "Perhaps it would be easier if he had a favorite stuffed animal, or something he is fond of to hold on to. Well, that is...besides you."

Kaiba glared at her from the comment, as he managed to gently pull himself from Mokuba's grasp. As he did, Mokuba curled into himself more, but looked so alone. 'Maybe she's right.' he thought. But Mokuba had no plushies. When Mokuba felt alone, Kaiba would normally let his brother stay with him for the night. Of course, he wasn't going to tell her that...that was personal.

The problem was, neither brother ever had any many interests in toys, knick-knacks or plushies, even as kids. The orphanage and Gozaburo made sure to remove that interest in them long ago. So, Mokuba didn't have anything to hold onto in bed except another pillow...hardly something that could be considered a 'favorite' thing. All Mokuba had that was of great value to him was a picture of his brother. And the only real personal thing Kaiba kept was his picture of Mokuba. Well, and of course his dragons..."

The thought brought a sudden idea to Kaiba's mind. It could help his brother, and maybe help prove once and for all if what had been promised him truly was real, and not fake. Kaiba reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his Blue Eyes White Dragon cards. "You claim to have magic, right?" he asked Aiko.

"Well...yes. Why?" Aiko asked.

"Well, then prove it to me now. Here, look at this." Kaiba said, holding up his Blue Eyes White Dragon card. "Make a stuffed animal like the dragon in this picture."

"Oh, all right." Aiko looked at the card carefully, then closed her eyes and started chanting. A small ball of light started to form in her hands, and then suddenly a Blue Eyes White Dragon plushy, a little bigger than a teddy bear, appeared in her hand and handed it to Kaiba. "Is this all right, Kaiba?" she asked.

Kaiba looked it over in fascination, feeling the thing as his mind absorbed just how real it was. He tried to think of any way that could have been a trick...but he couldn't think of one. It was too impromptu. No one could have guessed that he would out of the blue ask for something like this, to be able to plan any way of deceiving him. This was real...that would mean she really could do some kind of magic. Given, magically creating a plushie was hardly anything to be considered as spectacular, but that didn't matter...magic is magic.

Not wanting to absorb this right now, feeling a headache already coming on from the idea of it, Kaiba turned his attention to Mokuba. He woke him saying, "Hey, kiddo...I got something for you." and held the plushie up for him.

Mokuba opened his eyes and smiled "Is that really for me, Seto?" he asked weakly.

Kaiba smiled, seeing the happy look on his little brothers face. He kissed him on the forehead and handed him the dragon. "Of course it is." Mokuba brought his hands up and took the dragon, then hugged it for dear life. He looked so happy, despite how sick he was.

Magic or not...Kaiba was happy to see the small spark of life in his brother's eyes again. He brought his hand down, brushing his little brother's bangs from his face, then kissed his forehead. Kaiba then covered him back up. Finally, he moved to the back of the bed, grabbing an extra cover folded at the end, and covered him with that as well to help keep him warm.

"Sleep tight kiddo, I promise I'll be back before you know it." He watched as Mokuba snuggled up with his new plushie and drifted off to sleep. 'If I'd known something like that would make him so happy, I would have had one made for him sooner.' Kaiba thought, as he stroked Mokuba's hair one last time, before getting up to leave.

"You know you shouldn't make promises you can't keep." Aiko said just as Kaiba had reached the door.

"I don't." Kaiba hissed back dangerously, for her daring to accuse him of lying to his brother.

"What if you decide to stay in that world? Do you truly want to lie to him, making him believe you're returning?"

Kaiba now approached her, glaring directly into her eyes as he snapped, "What kind of a bullshit question is that? If I decide to stay in that world, Mokuba becomes a part of it, doesn't he? That 'is' what your friend Ajin said."

"He's not my friend." Aiko said, looking directly in his eyes. She then avoided his gaze, saying, "Forgive me. It is not my place to question the wishes of others."

Kaiba was getting strange vibes from this. Was there something he missed? "So who grants these wishes, you or him?"

"His powers are greater than mine...Ajin is the one who grants the wishes to others." Aiko said.

Kaiba then smirked, saying, "I get it. And you don't like Ajin, do you? You're right; maybe you should stay out of it. And while you're at it, you better do your job and make sure Mokuba remains safe at all times. I don't want your little personal quarrels with your 'box' roommate to cause you to become careless with my brother's health. Got it?"

"Do not be concerned on that, Kaiba. I will make sure nothing happens to your brother." Aiko said. Then moving closer to him, she said, "Just so you know my priest, my loyalty and allegiance to you comes first, as it always has." then continued to move forward to close the gap between them.

But Kaiba moved a step back, stopping Aiko's attempted kiss...his eyes never loosing that cold look in them. "No...not me. Keep your top allegiance to my brother. And one other thing...don't try that again. I don't know what you 'think' we were, but I'm not a priest. And as far as I'm concerned, we never slept together, either."

Kaiba watched her carefully to make sure Aiko did not show any sign of anger or regret. He did not want his rejection towards her to cause any possible problems with her caring for Mokuba later. But that did not seem to bother her. She simply bowed, saying, "As you wish, Kaiba. My apologies."

Accepting that response, Kaiba nodded to her, then turned and headed back down the hall. As he left, he considered the words she said to him before; accusing him of lying to his brother, of not returning as if accepting that wish was also abandoning him. Kaiba shook the thoughts from his head. 'That's ridiculous, I'm not even doing this for me...I'm doing this for Mokuba. I'm not going to let that crazy woman get to me...I refuse to start second guessing myself, now. Obviously, these two people have some kind of personal problems with each other, and she's trying to drag me into it. I know there's supposed to be no such thing as magic, but...that little amount that Aiko did. What other explanation is there? If there's even a chance to bring them back, give Mokuba a real family with real parents that can care for him...wouldn't it be worth taking this chance? It'll only be two hours, and then I'll be back, Mokuba. No matter what that lady said to me, in two hours we'll be back together...that I promise.'

"Poor Kaiba." Aiko said, sitting down next to Mokuba. "He doesn't seem to realize, little one, that this world and the one Ajin promises are NOT the same. He only sees what he wants to see, and what Ajin stuck into his mind." Aiko soaked the rag again, then placed it on Mokuba's forehead before continuing. "He believes that everything happening in this world is happening there. I hope when he sees how wrong he is, how much different the two worlds are and that not everything is as it seems to be, he will decide to return to you, little one."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

"All right, Ajin." Kaiba said, walking into the living room. "I'm ready. Now tell me exactly how this is supposed to work."

"Very good." Ajin said, quite pleased that this is finally starting. He then pointed at the necklace around Kaiba's neck that contained his brother's picture, and said, "Your locket will be your only link to this world. You lose it, and you lose your way back."

"Fine." Kaiba merely offered as an answer. He had no concern over that, since Kaiba always wore it like a badge of pride, and never took it off. But he was certainly not going to offer any hints to Ajin just how important that locket was to him. He still got bad vibes from this person, and didn't trust him.

"Very good. Now prepare yourself, for you will find a lot of things in that world different. The person you were in that world will have had an accident, and so those that know him will believe your personality change is due to the accident. They will also believe you have slight amnesia to explain why you don't know certain facts." Ajin said.

"I think you said something about that earlier. But what kind of facts?" Kaiba asked, part of his mind still trying to fight the idea that this person could really perform magic, even though he had already witnessed it once from Aiko.

"Well, in this world you will meet new people. And as stated before, things will be different...so you might not understand everything happening around you. Now...are you ready to do this?"

"Yes. Let's just see this little fantasy world you're talking about." Kaiba said.

Immediately, Kaiba was assuming Ajin was going to try and hypnotize him, and try to make him go to sleep for two hours, to maybe make him subconsciously dream about what was told to him. But instead, Ajin pointed to the doorway of Kaiba's downstairs office, and said, "Very well...walk through that door."

It had to be the dumbest thing Kaiba ever heard. 'What, into my office?' Kaiba wondered. As he looked at the door, instead of seeing the room beyond it, it appeared to be a bright light. Honestly, Kaiba had expected to see a little more dramatics than this.

Kaiba glared back at Ajin, showing him just how unimpressed he was, saying, "This is your great magic? Even I could have made a doorway glow with my holographic imaging." Then with a smirk, he added, "I think you should know, your assistant seems to do better magic tricks than you do. At least her attempts seem to be more realistic."

Ajin smiled calmly, saying, "If you doubt me, then try it for yourself and see." as he pointed to the doorway.

"Fine...and I'll make you eat your words, when I prove you for the fraud you are." Kaiba retorted, heading casually for the door to humor the guy.

But the instant Kaiba entered the light, there were confusing screams and the sound of screeching from a car locking up its breaks, as he heard someone cry out, "LOOK OUT!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Some one asked, 'Why didn't Kaiba just wish for Mokuba to get better?' Truthfully, I never thought of it. But for the most part, I guess it's just simply cause he didn't believe to begin with. Why ask for that when it wont come true?

Clarity said she'd work in an explanation for it later. So we'll have to wait to see what she comes up with later.


	8. Chapter 8

He quickly turned around and saw a pair of headlights heading towards him. The last thing he remembered was the sound of screeching tires. When he woke up, he found he was in a bedroom that wasn't his own.

"Where am I?" Kaiba asked himself out loud. He slowly got up and started to look around the room. What he found were certificates of achievement and various types of trophies, but none of it helped.

Kaiba moved from his bed, and took hold of one of the trophies, reading the name. "Seto Yagakamiya. Who's that?" he wondered out loud.

Finding the information useless, Kaiba thought back on what he last remembered.

_"Walk through that door."_

_"This is your great magic? Even I could have made a doorway glow with my holographic imaging."_

_"If you doubt me, then try it for yourself and see."_

_"Fine...and I'll make you eat your words, when I prove you for the fraud you are."_

That's right...he was supposedly in another dimension where his parents survived, and his brother wouldn't be sick. Kaiba again looked at the trophy, with the name labeled on it. 'So is this supposed to be me?'

Kaiba tried hard to remember if that was his last name. No matter how hard he tried, the name couldn't come to him. It was too long ago, and such old memories would have been long suppressed, after what he had to go through from first the orphanage, and then Gozaburo.

But he shook those thoughts away. The last thing he wanted to dwell on now was thinking of Gozaburo again. As far as he was concerned, Gozaburo was dead and he planned to keep him buried there where he belonged.

Back to the present, Kaiba looked around this room...which he was denying to himself was even real. He looked around the room to find posters of what looked like from a female rock band plastered on the wall of this small bedroom. Well...small compared to the bedroom 'he' was used to. The room was a mess, clothes were carelessly thrown about to get wrinkled, and...

...good lord, what was he wearing? It looked like a pair of jeans and a T-shirt of the same woman plastered on the walls. 'Very funny.' Seto thought, assuming Ajin did this on purpose, as some personal joke against him. Kaiba was still analyzing his situation and wondered if somehow the man hypnotized him into believing all this. But it was so detailed. If these were things he'd seen before in his childhood past or something...that could be understandable. But there was no way a hypnotist could make him think of these things by simply wording it.

He considered maybe virtual reality. Kaiba had been working on a project, that when done would blow people away with what he had achieved next. But it was far from finished, and there was no way anyone could have come up with this idea before him, or even thought of it, for that matter.

But then...if it wasn't hypnosis and he's not stuck inside some kind of virtual reality simulator, then...where is he? Kaiba looked out the window of this bedroom to see it looked to be a simple 2-story home in a middle-classed neighborhood. Other than that, he wasn't going to find much more information until he found his supposed 'family'.

'Mokuba.' Kaiba immediately thought as his family came to mind. He pushed all other things aside in his mind, for the moment. If Mokuba was here, he had to make sure he was okay, and really wasn't sick.

Kaiba opened the door of his bedroom and entered a hallway, just as a young girl about 15 years old was heading his way. They both froze, staring at each other.

She muttered, "Well, it's good to see you're up and about this morning. Mom will be happy. Now, do you mind? I'm trying to get to my bedroom..."

Kaiba stopped her from moving passed him, grabbing onto her arm. "Who are you?" he asked, glaring into her eyes, looking for any sign of weakness.

"What?" she asked, surprised by his question. But then she remembered the injury and what the doctor said. "Wow, I guess you really did shake something up in that noggin of yours. Hey, maybe you should lay back down some more, and give yourself some time to rest, okay?"

"I don't need rest...I need answers. Now, who 'are' you?" Kaiba asked.

She sighed. "I'm your sister, of course." she said, rolling her eyes. She was able to read her brother's eyes enough to know when he didn't believe something, and clearly he wasn't believing her.

Before Kaiba even spoke up, she grabbed his hand, saying, "Okay, come on 'Mr. Amnesia.' we better get you caught up, before Mom and Dad get home."

Kaiba looked down at her hand for daring to touch him, but didn't fight it, letting her drag him back into the small bedroom for now. "Fine." he muttered, deciding if he was going to play this game that Ajin had thrust him into, he might as well know all the rules.

She guided him to sit on the bed, then sat beside him. "Okay, well...you at least know my name, right?"

"How would I know your name? I don't know who you are." Kaiba stated, as if she was being stupid.

She blinked. "Gee...I think it's worst than what the doctor even said. He told us you might not recognize us, and you might be confused and have a slight personality change because of your concussion. I guess I just didn't expect it to be this drastic."

Kaiba crossed his arms. "Whatever. Listen, you're wasting my time here. Are you going to give me this information or not?"

"All right, all ready! God, you're being suck a prick. It's not my fault you had a fight with Tea, and were too stupid not to get out of the road!" she snapped, looking away.

Kaiba tried his hardest to ignore Angie on what he felt to be the senseless ranting of a brainless woman. Tea's name clicked recognition in his mind, but barely. Personally, he didn't allow himself to be led back to his room by his 'supposed' sister, just to hear her gossip about her girlfriends. Plus, he didn't see anything unusual about himself fighting or arguing with the friendship group, either. It was no surprise that if something tragic happened, Yugi's group would somehow be there, and partially involved.

So totally ignoring everything she just said, Kaiba asked instead, "You mentioned you're my sister. How is that possible?"

She looked over at him for a minute, thinking, "Hmmm...I wonder if you don't remember me because I was originally adopted."

Kaiba blinked, not expecting that. "You're...adopted? Then you're not my real sister."

"Don't say that...that's not nice!" she snapped. "Mom and Dad always told me it doesn't matter if we're not blood related...we're still family no matter what."

Somehow, that hit something in Kaiba. It made him feel bad enough to almost apologize...almost. He didn't apologize, but still felt bad about it. Part of him was now trying to exactly figure out what his opinion should be on adoption. After all...he and Mokuba were adopted. But then, they didn't exactly have the best childhood due to that fact, either. He turned away, finally saying, "I didn't mean anything by it." It wasn't an apology, but at least it was a sort-of peace offering.

And it was enough to calm her down. She nodded, then turned to him, saying, "My name is Angelee Harper Yagakamiya." Looking down at her fidgeting hands, she continued to say to him, "You see, when you were real young, I guess Mom...your mother, was pregnant. But something went wrong during the birth and she miscarried. After that, Mom didn't want to try to have any other kids, so she adopted me..."

"What?" Kaiba said, his face had turned a pale white, as if he had seen a ghost.

She turned to him, asking, "Oh, don't worry...Mom's fine. It's just..."

Angelee didn't expect Kaiba's next move. He forcefully grabbed both her shoulders tight with both hands, shaking her, as he snapped at her, "You're lying! She did 'not' miscarry...I will 'not' listen to this! Where's Mokuba? I demand to know 'NOW'!"

Kaiba's head began to swirl into this sinking nightmare the moment she mentioned his mother miscarried. He knew that story frightfully well. That time in the hospital, he had lost his mother and almost lost his new brother. But Mokuba survived it and his Mom died. But in this world, this girl was telling him the opposite happened.

'No, it's not true! Ajin told me Mokuba would never be sick!' Kaiba considered that fact, and thought if Mokuba was never alive, he'd obviously never get sick, either. 'But I confronted him with that theory, and he told me we wouldn't be dead in this world...' His mind was beginning to think very strongly that the guy lied, and that he wanted to go home 'now' back to his brother.

But in-between the girl's protests, he finally caught the words that came out of her mouth. "What does Mokuba have to do with any of this?"

Kaiba stopped everything he was doing, and glared at her. He then snapped, "You said he didn't survive."

"I said what would have been your younger sibling wouldn't have survived. So why are you bringing Mokuba up in this?" she asked.

"Because...he's my brother." Kaiba stated simply. Wasn't it obvious?

Angelee was looking at him strangely again. "No he's not...what gave you that idea?"

There was a long pause, before Kaiba slowly released her. Looking back at her with the same strange look, he muttered, "But..." and found himself unable to continue saying anything else. Finally, he asked, "Then who is he related to?"

"I'm surprised you don't remember that part...you've been almost obsessed to get Mokuba away from the Kaiba family. He lives with Noah. Well...if you can call that living." she muttered.

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying, Mokuba's in danger?" Kaiba asked. Immediately his paternal instincts kicked in. Before he did anything else, he had to find Mokuba and help him, no matter what.

Angelee shook her head. "I can't believe you forgot so much. Then again, you don't even remember I'm your sister, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Mokuba lives with his war-monger family...the Kaiba's. He's like Noah's personal servant. There's not really a lot you can do about it. You have tried to duel him several times to free Mokuba from his grasp, and done just about everything else to try and free him too...it's just a never-ending cycle for you."

There was a long silent pause hanging in the air. Then at once, Kaiba stood, saying, "I gotta go..."

"No! Dammit, Seto...you can't go! Mom and Dad will be home any second, and..."

"Honey, we're home!" a woman's voice called out, as they could hear the front door opening from not too far off. Angelee pleaded, "Seto, I swear Mokuba will be fine. He's been living there all his life. They're not going to kill him. You need to take the time to know what's going on around you, before you just jump into something like this. Otherwise, you're only going to hurt yourself even more!"

Kaiba decided she had a point. He knew nothing of this world. Before he could even figure out what to do, he'd have to learn what the Kaiba family was like in this world...and find out who this Noah person is, as well. "All right." Kaiba said, giving in. "Well...if that's my parents downstairs, then I might as well meet them. Right?"

Angelee smiled, saying, "Good. At least you're not being so stubborn for a change. Who knows, maybe something good will come out of this, after all..."

He glared at her from the comment, then got even angrier when she frazzled his hair - knowing he would hate her for doing that, and ran from the room before he could do anything about it...being just like an immature adolescent sister. It was something Kaiba was definitely not used to.

'Stupid girl.' he thought as he adjusted his hair, then finally headed out of his room.

Once downstairs, Angie ran to help her mother by grabbing one if the grocery bags she was carrying, as Kaiba came in to see these 'supposed' parents. He had come in, expecting to have a confrontation with them, only accepting that they were anything else other than his parents. But the moment he came in, he froze. It was her...it was really her. It was his mother.

Given, she was a lot older than he remembered her to be, but other than age, she looked the same. The same features, the same smile, the same soft caring look in her eyes...she looked a lot like Mokuba.

And he didn't even remember what she looked like, until that moment, he came in and saw her. Kaiba just stood there, looking in shock, as he watched his mother interact with his supposed sister. 'No...this isn't real. It can't be real.' he thought. But how would anyone know what his mother once looked like but him? How could this be a trick? Kaiba couldn't see a possible way of this being fake.

'But...my parents are both dead. Could it be...Ajin was telling the truth?.' Kaiba wondered for the first time. He had witnessed Aiko create a stuffed dragon in front of his very eyes, after all. But finding a way for his parents to be alive again...it was almost too good to be true.

But as he considered that, another thing finally caught his eye. It was the familiarity of the kitchen. 'I remember.' he suddenly thought. 'I've been in this house. I'm...I'm...home.' Given, much of the furniture and belongings were different, now...but he noticed the walls were the same, the color was the same, certain things that hung there practically forever were still there. Even an old picture on the fridge that Kaiba had made for his mother back when he was...god, how young was he? Four, maybe?

The woman set the bag she was carrying down and noticed Kaiba staring. "Seto, are you alright honey? That was a pretty nasty accident you had last night. How are you feeling?" She asked brushing the hair out of his face. And Kaiba didn't even notice...his mind had been suddenly thrust into a past life he didn't even realize he still had memories of.

"He's been like that all morning, Mom." Angie said. "He didn't even remember I was his sister." she grumbled.

"Well, I know the doctor said there might be some confusion and he might not remember some things. But to not even remember his own sister? Poor thing. Well don't worry honey, the doctor said that should only be temporary. You'll feel better soon." his mother said, stroking his hair.

"Excuse me." Kaiba blankly said, as he turned and walked away, unexpectedly.

"Seto?" his mother asked, but a knock on the door caused her to pause. "I'll get it." Angie said, heading to the door.

Kaiba's mother looked around and finally found where Kaiba went. Kaiba was standing in front of their old piano, rubbing the dust from the top of it, like a precious treasure.

"Seto...what are you doing?" she asked.

Kaiba's eyes were filled with emotion, as he said to her, "I remember this piano. You used to play on it all the time when I was young."

"Oh, my...I didn't even know you still remembered that. That was so long ago." she smiled. "I haven't played in so long, now. Not since..." The mother stopped what she was about to say and instead said something else. "This thing's just been sitting around collecting dust. I've been thinking of getting rid of this for so long, now. But I guess I just couldn't get myself to do it."

Kaiba then directed his gaze away from the piano to the floor next to it, saying, "I used to have a table, right here. It was too small for me to use the couch for a seat, so I used to sit on the floor."

"That's right." his mother said. "It was your favorite spot. You used to sit there on the floor and draw and color pictures for hours. Your favorite was your dragons you always drew for us." She gave a weak chuckle, saying, "Oh, those were the days...you kids grow so fast."

But Kaiba couldn't take it anymore and dropped to his knees in conflict, wracked with pain from remembering parts of the past he never wanted to remember again.

At that time, the father came in, saying, "Honey? Where is that son of yours? Angie said he was up, so why isn't he helping out?"

"Not now, Jim...Seto's still recovering from his accident. I don't think he's feeling well." She turned back to Kaiba, asking, "Honey, are you okay?" again stroking his hair.

Kaiba looked over at her, feeling the walls he had held up around himself for so long beginning to crumble away with every touch she placed on him. Those familiar touches that she always used to do when he was such a small kid...

Abruptly, Kaiba got up, sputtering out to himself, "I gotta get out of here." and rushed passed both his mother and father, and out the door.

"Wait a minute, where do you think you're going?" the father exclaimed, but he was already out the door before he could even finish. He looked confused, then turned to the mother, "Where is he going?"

"Jim...just let him go. He'll be back. Obviously that bruise of his got him very confused." she said.

The father thought a moment about that. "Well, then he shouldn't be out there my himself. Angie, stay with your brother and make sure he doesn't go too far. He shouldn't be wandering off with a head injury."

"Okay, Dad. The guys are coming over soon anyway, and will want to see him." she said, heading out the door.

Kaiba didn't go too far. He made it out the back door, before more memories hit him...him swinging on the swing, his father attempting to teach him soccer.

...then one-day mother didn't come home, only his new brother Mokuba. And father couldn't handle it, and escaped into work, almost never coming home. Then one day...he didn't come home either, and they were on their own.

"Seto?" Angie asked Kaiba who was of all places...sitting on a swing that was too small for him, his arms curled around each other.

As she got closer, she realized he was whispering something. "It isn't real...it isn't real..."

She put a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Come on, Seto...calm down. Our life aint 'that' bad. Uh...your friends will be here any minute, by the way. I thought you should know. But if you keep acting this creepy, you're gonna scare them."

'She's right...I gotta get a handle on things.' Kaiba thought, trying desperately to put those walls back up and secure them better, this time. But after what he had seen, everything just hit him at once...he didn't expect it. He thought of the one thing that could help him. Mokuba...if anything, if anyone, he had to be strong for him. Somewhere in this world, Mokuba was in trouble...and he had to save him.

'Mokuba...I wish you were here.' he thought, concerned over his brother. And he never realized he had to be careful what he wished for...for it might come true.

Suddenly, the information of what Angie said to him was consciously absorbed, and he looked up, confused. "My...friends?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Back in the real world, Aiko was doing everything in her power to keep Mokuba warm and comfortable. She had given him his medicine and took his temperature. Then she became even more concerned, when it read 102.

So, Aiko took the cloth and headed into the bathroom to re-wet it. But while she was in there, she didn't notice a small glow that appeared around Mokuba for a moment, before it quickly faded.

Aiko returned, putting the fresh cloth down on his head. She had also brought out a jar of vapor rub and rubbed it on him to help him breath. "Poor thing." Aiko muttered, moving some of the strands of hair from his head.

She then paused, feeling for some reason like...something was different. She checked his head and his breathing. Though his body seemed to be cooler to the touch than before for some odd reason, he seemed to be the same.

...so why couldn't she shake this feeling that something was missing?


	9. Chapter 9

Mokuba sat in his chair looking stunned, as he watched a few maids run around in a panic. One of them approached Mokuba, saying, "You must hurry, Mokuba. Master Noah will be back from his riding lesson soon. Are you feeling okay, now? I apologize again for hitting you with the door...but I didn't see you there."

"Oh, it's okay. You didn't know I was there." Mokuba said.

"Well, you better get changed. Master Noah expected you to go with him to the university for his next lesson."

"All right." Mokuba said, and turned to his dressers to get his change of clothes.

'What's going on?' came a thought in Mokuba's mind, and he froze. Did he just think that? And what did he mean by, "what's going on"?

Mokuba turned to look and make sure the maid wasn't there, then ask out loud, "Uh...hello?"

'Why am I talking, and I can't seem to control it?'

There it was again. It was like a voice in Mokuba's head. But this never happened before. Maybe when that maid hit him with the door, it did more damage than he thought. 'Maybe if I ignore it, it'll just go away.' Mokuba thought, and started digging for his clothes again.

'What do you mean, go away? I'm not going anywhere! And who are you, and why do you have control of my body? I want my body back!'

Suddenly the thoughts in Mokuba's head became more forceful, and he could feel the essence panicking and struggling to take him over. But Mokuba fought it, saying, "No way, this is my body! Leave me alone!"

'This isn't your body, it's my body! I'm Mokuba, so who are you and how did you take me over?' the thought asked, quite forcefully. Mokuba was just glad it seemed to stop fighting him for the moment. Because this essence was very strong-willed compared to him. He didn't know if he could resist it long, if it continued to try and take control.

"You can't be Mokuba...because I'm Mokuba." he said. "Please...I have to get ready, before Noah comes. Or I'll get in trouble." he said.

'Who's Noah?' the thoughts asked him.

"That's Gozaburo's son." He muttered quickly, beginning to pick up his clothes.

'Gozaburo had a son?' the thought asked him. 'That's weird, I don't remember that. So, why is he in the mansion?'

"Because he lives here." Mokuba said.

'The only ones that live here are me and Seto. And where 'is' Seto? And where is the baby-sitter, and how come I'm not in bed sick? Am I feeling better?'

"Uh...I'm not sure what you mean." Mokuba answered. "This home belongs to the Kaiba's, not me. I was bought by Gozaburo to be Noah's slave."

'Slave? No way! Slavery isn't even legal! Why don't you run away then, or try and find Seto?' the voice asked.

"Seto's tried to help me from Noah, but Noah's too powerful." Mokuba said.

The voice chimed back. 'That can't be true. No one's too powerful for my big brother...he'll kick his butt!'

"Big brother? But...he's just a guy that's been nice to me. We're not related or anything." Mokuba said.

'What? What do you mean he's not your brother...he has to be! Okay, I need to sort this out. This whole thing is weird...' the voice said to him.

It was then that the maid appeared, and said, "Mokuba...why are you still standing here? Master Noah will be angry if he comes in and finds out you're not ready, yet."

"I'm sorry, I'll get right on it." Mokuba said. The maid left, and he started to get ready, saying, "Please, I need to get ready before he shows up, or I'll be in trouble."

'All right, I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone.' the voice told him.

As Mokuba continued to get ready, the Mokuba from Kaiba's world decided to stay in the back of slave Mokuba's mind, and watch to see what was going on. This way, he would find out what was happening, by merely observing for now. And once he got a handle on what was happening, he would then know what to do.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Back at Kaiba's parents house, everyone had just finished lunch...well, except for Kaiba who didn't eat a thing on his plate.

The father looked up, saying, "Seto, you should eat something. You're not going to get any better, by not eating anything."

Seto glanced up at his father...he never realized just how much of himself was in his father's features, until now. "I'm not very hungry."

"Very well. Then help your sister clean up the table. Me and your mother have to get going soon." he said.

"Where are you going?" Kaiba asked, curious.

"We've planned this for months, Seto...you know where we're going." the father stated.

The mother then cut in. "Jim...the amnesia? He doesn't remember."

"Oh, that's right." he said. "It's a church picnic that a lot of the local parents are going to. While we're there, we talk about ways to help improve the neighborhood. I'm...assuming you and your sister still don't want to go?"

"No thanks." Kaiba said, as he stood and began to help with the dishes, as he was told.

"All right. Well then, we'll see you kids later. Don't do anything crazy while we're gone." the father smiled.

Angie just rolled her eyes, saying, "Oh, yeah Dad...we're going to throw a party, and have a wild orgy here while we're at it."

"You're father doesn't need your attitude." the mother scolded.

"Yeah, yeah...go on, already!" she said, picking up the plates. They left the room, as Angie looked over to see Kaiba was looking confused as to what to do with the leftovers.

'Men.' she thought, saying, "Just give it here, already. You are so worthless, sometimes..."

He just gave her a strange look, as she snatched the food away and scraped it into the garbage. It was strange having himself being called worthless, of all things. Then again, common chores was certainly not one of Kaiba's strong qualities.

At least he was finally beginning to get over the shock of where he was, but was still trying to fathom how it was possible.

Suddenly, Angie blurted, "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you...Tea called! She wanted you to know she's sorry for the fight you two had yesterday."

Kaiba looked over at her strangely. "And I should care, because...?"

"Well, 'duh'...because she's your girlfriend!" Angie blurted, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"She's my..." Kaiba's eyes widened at that, but they narrowed again quickly. He had begun to notice since he's been here the strange nature of this girl and her childish 'teasing' habits, which he could assume must be what they call 'sibling rivalry'. It's something that almost never happened between him and Mokuba, since he was as much of a father to him as a brother. Perhaps more of a father, even.

But this case was obviously much different. So he assumed it must be one of her weird teasing moments again. In fact, to confirm it, she began to giggle. Angie couldn't help but snicker seeing how her brother's eyes widened from the realization of what she just told him. It was funny seeing her older brother so mixed up...she couldn't help it.

Kaiba simply looked away, continuing to put the dishes away that Angie had cleaned, saying, "I'm not amused."

"Well, whether you amused or not, she's going to be over in about 20 minutes, so you better get ready." she said.

Kaiba glared at her coldly, and spat. "You're not actually serious about this..."

"Of course I am!" Angie said.

Kaiba then turned his full attention to her, asking, "And why should I believe you? After all, if you're my sister, this could simply be some stupid joke of yours, in some pathetic attempt to mock me."

Angie paused at that, thinking about what he said. "Hmph...yeah, I guess you're right. I never thought about that." Wow, she could take advantage of this, couldn't she? She then looked over at him, who was still glaring down at her. Rolling her eyes, she said, "Listen...I swear to you, I'm not trying to be mean. She really is your girlfriend. Besides...if I started being that mean to you, you could get me in so much trouble with Mom and Dad. It wouldn't be worth it. I don't need to be grounded, I got friends to see. Come on, I swear...cross my heart and hope to die. Satisfied?"

He still didn't trust her. He didn't even know her. But if they were supposedly a family, then maybe she was being honest. But he found it hard to believe in 'any' existence he could like Tea, of all people. Him and the cheerleader 'friendship' girl...he thought he would gag just thinking about it. But he decided he might as well play along for now. He was still in 'gathering information' mode, so maybe he could find out something useful from this meeting.

Besides...it might be fun to chase her away, and make her cry.

Kaiba returned to his room to find something else to wear besides the crap he was wearing, now. He looked into his closet, and wasn't too satisfied to see he didn't have anything much better than what he was already wearing. It seemed most of his clothing consisted of jeans and T-shirts...some even torn up. The only thing even remotely close to his normal interest was some drab brown raincoat, which he couldn't make himself wear.

Finally digging through his things, he finally found a plain black long sleeved shirt, and was lucky enough to come across one pair of jeans that were at least black, as well. It was the best he could come up with, and changed into them. And not because Tea was coming over of course, but because he couldn't stand, what he had on. If he was going to deal with anyone, he was at least going to look more respectable than he did now.

"Seto, Yugi and the others are here." Angie suddenly called up to him.

'Yugi? I thought she said Gardner was coming over. What are they doing here?' Kaiba wondered. He wondered if Angie did this on purpose to confuse him. She knew his knowledge was limited... at least on information from this world. Did she do this on purpose to tease him again, or was she simply being stupid?

'She was probably just being her stupid self.' Kaiba decided and headed down to deal with the geek squad.

"Hey Seto, we heard about your accident. How are you feeling?" Yugi asked, as Kaiba came into the room.

Kaiba snapped, "Don't call me that."

The others froze, as Yugi blinked. "Uh...what am I supposed to call you?"

"The name is Kaiba...don't forget it." he said, causing everyone to just stand there and stare. Only after, did he remember, 'That's right...that's not my last name, here. Oh well, they can simply pass that along with my supposed amnesia.' Ignoring their stares, he turned away, asking, "Now, what do you want?"

Suddenly, Joey burst out in laughter, saying, "Oh, man...that was great. For a minute, you had us there. Kaiba...ahahahaha! You even acted kinda like Noah, with that imitation of yours."

"Yeah, Seto...that was pretty good." Yugi said.

Kaiba inwardly flinched, hearing himself being called by his first name again, but said nothing, this time. He didn't have another option of what to call him. He remembered the last name that Angie called herself, but it didn't feel like that's who he was. So he decided he might as well be called Seto, for now.

Joey then asked, "So, uh...how much 'do' you remember, anyway? I mean...do you remember us?"

"How could I forget." he answered, with a sour look on his face. But despite that, the others simply took his words in a good way, as if he'd never want to forget them.

Suddenly Tristan blurted, "Look out, guys...Tea's here!"

Everyone backed away, as Tea came running in and threw her arms around Kaiba. "I am so sorry about last night! It was all my fault! I shouldn't try to make you change...I love you just the way you are."

"Get off of me!" he blurted out angrily, pushing her away with disgust.

Tea looked at him sadly, then dropped her head down. "So then, you don't forgive me. I guess after I got you hit by a car, I should have expected that..."

'So Angie's telling the truth about this...'dating' thing.' Kaiba thought. But he hesitated for a moment, as various ideas started coming to mind...cruel ideas. Though he knew nothing about this accident, he could start bashing her that it all her fault, and was now disgusted by her...making the friendship girl feel like dirt. 'That would be fun.' he thought.

Unfortunately, his sister ruined it. "Tea, he's not mad at you about that. It's just that...he doesn't remember you and him dating."

"What?" Tea asked, looking up at Kaiba, who scowled down at her, then looked away. "But, why would he...Seto, we've been dating for over 2 years. You don't remember that?"

'2 years?' Kaiba thought, and she could see his eyes widen in surprise.

"Oh my god...you really don't remember that." Tea said.

Kaiba glared at them. If there's one thing he couldn't stand, it was having people look at him with sympathy in their eyes. Well, he was going to correct that, quickly.

With a cold sneer, he snapped, "So, you think that makes a difference if I remember or not? Even if I could remember, I wouldn't want anything to do with you. So, why don't you take yourself, and that little gang of friends of yours...and get out of here. I have better things to do with my time."

Everyone froze, not expecting him to act so coldly. Angie gave him a smack on the arm, saying, "Seto, stop being such an ass! Just cuz you don't remember anything, doesn't mean..."

"Ahhh, chill out, Angie." Joey said, approaching Kaiba and putting an arm around his shoulder. "Just cuz Seto's acting a little weird, don't mean you gotta get on his case about it."

Kaiba's eyes widened, shocked that Joey would dare put his hands on him, like they were some kind of...friends. Even if they supposedly were a part of this world, it didn't mean he had to accept it. His hand came up immediately, grabbing Joey's wrist and twisting, causing Joey to cry out and drop down on his knees...exactly where Kaiba's preferred Joey to be, where he deserved to be...down at Kaiba's feet.

"I'm only going to say this to you once, Mutt...don't ever touch me. Do it again, and next time I wont be so nice." Kaiba hissed.

"This is nice?" Joey exclaimed.

"Seto, stop it!" Yugi protested. "Joey is your friend! In fact...he's your best friend. So, why are you being so mean to him?"

Kaiba glared over at Yugi for the moment, wondering if Yugi was as much of a challenge to him in this world with Duel Monsters, as he was in his own world...getting that itch to challenge him again. But he put it aside for another time.

"Friend?" Kaiba asked Yugi coldly, his eyes were so cold it took Yugi off-guard and he stepped back, fearfully of his strange behavior.

Kaiba tossed Joey away, then laughed coldly at that. A laugh that made everyone shudder. It was not the kind of laugh they ever heard Seto make before. It was like it wasn't him, at all. The laugh ended as soon as it began and he was as serious as ever, as if the guy's moods could swing like the opening and closing of a door. "I don't have 'friends'." he snapped, as if that word meant poison.

"Now get out!" he snapped at them. "...or better yet, I'll leave. After being crowded around you geeks, I could use some fresh air."

He walked through them, right to the door and continued out.

"Seto, wait! Where are you going? Seto? Seto!" Yugi called, but he was ignored, as Kaiba kept going.

Tristan turned to Angie, asking, "Where is he going?"

"Mr. attitude? Who knows...maybe he can use the air." she said, crossing her arms and looking very angry at her brother for treating their friends like that.

Joey rubbed his sore wrist, after that move Kaiba gave him, and said, "Maybe Angie's right...maybe he needs some time to himself, after that bump on his head. He's acting really weird." 'And where did he learn that move?' Joey secretly wondered. 'That was kinda...cool. Like kung-fu theater, or something...'


	10. Chapter 10

Angie sat down, suddenly looking depressed. "I was actually laughing at him awhile ago, for not remembering so much. But he's so different...I don't know what to think, guys. You had to see him earlier when Mom and Dad came home. He was so freaked-out, like they were ghosts or something. Some of the things he said to me didn't make any sense at all. And he doesn't even know me. He acts like we're strangers or something. It's like it's not even him..."

"But he doesn't remember you, Angie." Yugi said. "It's not his fault."

Now Tea began to cry, saying, "But he doesn't remember me, either! If he doesn't remember the accident, why is he being so mean to me?"

Angie stood and hugged Tea, as they both began to cry.

"Oh lord, I so don't need this..." Joey said.

Tristan snapped, "Hey, be a little more sympathetic, Joey!" Then went over, hugging both girls, saying, "Don't worry ladies...I'm here for ya!"

Angie then decked him, saying, "Get lost!" being used to Tristan trying to flirt with any girl on two legs...even if they were taken, or was someone's sister.

Yugi then reminded them, "Well, At least this is supposed to be a temporary thing. Once he starts to remember, he'll be back to normal." 'At least I hope so...' Yugi thought to himself.

/I'm not so sure, aibou./ Yami suddenly said to Yugi.

Yugi glanced over at the spirit beside him, asking/What do you mean/

/I don't know how to explain it, Yugi. It's just a feeling I had, when I saw him. It's as if the person you were talking to wasn't Seto Yagakamiya, at all./ Yami said.

Yugi suddenly turned to the girls and asked, "Angie...you said he doesn't even know you. He doesn't remember you?"

"No, he doesn't." Angie said. "He's just taking my word for it that I'm his sister."

"Well, that's strange." Tristan said. "Cuz he seemed to remember all of us."

Yugi continued to ask Angie, "And you said some the things he mentioned to you made no sense. What were some of things he was saying?"

They all sat down, as Angie said, "Well...at first he asked me how it's possible he has a sister. So I just thought maybe he wasn't remembering because I was adopted or something. But then he was asking about Mokuba, and seemed to claim he was his brother. More so, he got really upset hearing about how Mom miscarried years ago, as if that killed Mokuba or something. It was really weird..."

"That's crazy. He sounds like he lost his mind." Joey said.

"I don't think that's it, Joey." Yami said who had taken over for Yugi.

"What ya mean by that?" Joey asked.

"I felt something strange about Seto from the moment I laid eyes on him. I am beginning to believe some of the things he said to Angie is the truth." Yami said.

"But...how can that be true?" Angie asked.

Yami turned to Angie, saying, "It would mean...that Seto is not your brother. Your brother has been replaced by another."

Everyone gasped at that information. Tristan was the first to speak, asking, "How could he have been replaced, and why? Yami, are you sure?"

"Unfortunately, no...I can't be certain. But if it is true, we need to learn how and why this happened. And even more importantly...how to get him back. But we need to find out more about this, and soon."

Joey was thinking during this whole time, and stated, "Hey...didn't he tell us we should call him Kaiba?"

Again, everyone gasped at that.

Tea covered her mouth, saying, "Oh my god! Maybe Noah had something to do about this. Maybe he possessed him or something."

Yami didn't look happy at the idea, muttering, "If Noah had something to do with this, this situation just became ten times worst..."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Meanwhile, Kaiba was walking down the street still trying to sort everything out, and stewing over the fact that he would be dating such a pathetic loser in this world like Tea. 'This can't be real.' he said to himself for the thousandth time today, again thinking maybe this was a twisted joke that Ajin pulled. But still...where was he? He couldn't deny the idea of magic, if he couldn't even come up with a logical idea on where he was.

As Kaiba walked, something caught his eye and he noticed he was passing by a used clothing store, with a blue trench coat in the window, quite similar to the one he used to wear. He looked over himself, then pulled out his wallet. "Well...I suppose it's better than nothing."

With his decision made, he entered the clothing store, pulling down the display coat, and buying a couple more things there while he was at it.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Back at the mansion, Noah was going through another package of Duel Monsters cards he just recently picked up. As he opened another package, he was surprised to see a BEWD card in it.

Noah laughed coldly, and looked down at Mokuba, who was sitting on the floor next to him, saying, "How funny is that, Mokuba? Yugi and his little groupies were always yelling about how I wont give Yugi's grandfather back his precious Blue Eyes. And here I come across one in a random deck of cards. Yuck...and a Red-Eyes Black Dragon, as well. Here, dispose of these things. I have no need of them, I already own them all. And the ones I don't have, I don't want. Stupid dragon-cards, I hate dragons...they are all so worthless."

He handed the cards to Mokuba, then got up, Mokuba stood immediately as Noah began to walk away. "Maybe we can go somewhere today, and do some damage to the city. Wouldn't that be fun, Mokuba?" Noah gave another childish laugh, as he walked away.

'That doesn't make sense! Why would he want to destroy a BEWD card! It's like the rarest cards in the world...only four were ever made, and he wants to destroy it?'

"Master Noah doesn't care, since he normally doesn't like Monster cards. He prefers spirit monsters and life point power-ups. But you're right, he should reconsider. He could At least make a lot of money selling it, or showing it off. Maybe I could convince him to change his mind..." Mokie said.

'Uh-uh. He told us to get rid of it, so why don't we just hang onto them for now. I'm sure we'll find a better way to get rid of them, later.'

"But we'll get in trouble if we hang onto them." Mokie said to him.

'Don't be such a coward. Besides, we're the only ones that know, and I'm not telling. Just don't say anything. Now hide 'em in your pocket or something, so no one sees.'

"But what if someone finds out what I have?" Mokie asked.

'We'll just tell them you forgot to throw it out. Don't worry about it so much.'

Mokie looked around, then stuck them into the pocket of his uniform. He didn't know why he was listening to this new unknown voice in his head. Maybe he just liked having someone else to talk to for a change, that liked him and treated him as an equal...something he wasn't used to.

And there was something familiar about this presence. Yes, the voice said to him that he was Mokuba too, but...he even felt to him like it was him, or another him. It was strange.

And the 'other' Mokuba was learning quickly about his new environment, how he was being treated, and all about this Noah person that he was a supposed slave to. 'Don't worry...I'll help you out soon enough.' he thought, though he made sure he didn't project his thoughts to the other, this time.

'Once we find Nii-sama, I know he'll help.' Mokie thought, he too made sure he didn't project his thoughts to the other.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Kaiba was once again heading down the street, now wearing the familiar trench coat, once again. His mind was trying to think everything through, when suddenly he had a strange sense of deja vu hit him.

It was still an area that had a lot of middle-class homes, so...why did it seem so familiar to him, like he was here before? As he continued to walk trying to figure it out, a shop caught his attention and he turned to look in the window to see: a Blue Eyes White Dragon card in the window for only $100.00!

Kaiba blinked, then blinked again...and it clicked: this had happened to him before.

_Kaiba was on his way back from his meeting at Industrial Illusions, when his limo broke down. He was walking to the nearest shop to make a phone call, since he had such bad reception on his cell phone in this run-down area. Something stopped him, and drew him to look in the nearby window of the store...as if he sensed something there...something important._

_In the window was of all things a rare BEWD card for a mere $100...something he would have gladly paid millions for, or killed for at the time. He entered the shop and easily bought the card. "Just two more left, and soon all 4 of the dragons will be mine!"_

"Greetings young man, may I help you?" the store man asked, as Kaiba automatically stepped into the store, as if he was walking through his past.

Kaiba pointed at the window, stating, "I'd like to buy that card in the window."

"You do know its a hundred dollars..." the man said, as if he expected that to be a lot for such a card.

Kaiba scrounged out just about all the cash he had left, asking, "Is this enough?"

The man counted it out, and sure enough, it was the correct amount. Kaiba even made sure to count for tax, without being told. The shopkeeper then went to the window, pulling out the card, putting it in a protective case and handing it to him. "Very good. Thank you and have a nice day."

Kaiba took the card, wondering if he even had a deck of his own in this world. 'That supposed sister of mine said I've dueled before. But she also said I failed. At least this should help...'

With the Blue Eyes card in hand, Kaiba then walked out of the shop and stopped, hearing someone mention his name...his first name.

"Well, hello Seto...funny seeing you here." Noah smiled coldly up at him.

'Mokuba!' Kaiba instantly thought, seeing what looked to be his little brother hiding behind Noah, looking up at him, helplessly.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Meanwhile, back in the real world...Aiko, still unable to understand what was missing, making certain her barrier was strengthened, which she hoped would prevent even Ajin from entering. With that set, she left the room to see him.

"Ajin, have you noticed anything missing or different?"

"Missing? Different? Mmmm…no, not really."

"You don't feel it...that missing feeling? The feeling, like something has happened."

"That's your problem Aiko, always too caught up with feelings and emotions. You should be more like me and rid yourself of all those needless things."

"For someone being pent-up in a box for so long, you'd think you would want to try and keep as much of your humanity as you can. Personally, I find emotions appealing."

"Fine, whatever. So does this missing feeling of yours have anything to do with the brat upstairs?"

"Now that you mention it...even though his fever is 102.5 last checked, he seems a little cold to the touch now. It's strange...he was so hot before, and now he seems cooler. I was a bit concerned, but he didn't seem any different other than that." Aiko said. Then with a smile, she added. "He does seem to be real attached to the dragon plushie I made for him, though. I tried to pull it away once, but he clung to it so tightly..."

"This is exactly what I mean by your emotions getting in the way." Ajin said sourly. "I think your too attached to the brat. So, you made him a toy?"

"Well actually, it was made at Kaiba's request...but yes, I made him a toy." Aiko turned away, as her attention drifted, muttering, "I always wanted children, but I never had the chance..."

Before Ajin could spit out more insults on her petty emotions again, the phone suddenly rang. Aiko then answered it. "Hello? No, Mr. Kaiba's not here at the moment. He had an important business errand to run. He'll be back soon. May I help you?"

Aiko took a minute to listen to the person at the other end, and then replied back to him, "Oh, Dr. Thomson. My name is Aiko. I have been placed in charge of Mokuba's care, till Mr. Kaiba returns. I'll be sure to pass on any news on Mokuba's condition to Mr. Kaiba, as soon as he's back."

She paused, listening to the man, then answered, "Yes, I see...I understand. Is there anything at all that can be done?"

He answered her. "Oh, all right. I see. Thank you. I'll be sure to inform Mr. Kaiba as soon as he returns. Good-bye." she finished saying. Aiko then hung up the phone, but didn't even get a chance to breath yet, before the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be?" Ajin asked.

Aiko retorted, "How should I know?" Then she concentrated enough to make herself visible and in modern day clothes, before going down and answering the door. "Yes, may I help you?"

At the door was a young teenage kid, and very close to Mokuba's height. This innocent-looking boy also had the strangest spike hair due. He smiled up at her, saying, "Hi. Is Kaiba here? I felt kinda bad about his brother being sick, and thought Mokuba would like this new game that my grandpa got me. Kind of a 'get well' gift, I guess..."

As Yugi spoke, Ajin drifted to the main foyer to see who was disturbing him, and his eyes widened in shock. 'It can't be! That looks like, like...the pharaoh! But, how can this be?' he thought to himself.

Aiko stepped aside, saying, "Please...come in. Kaiba isn't home at the moment, but you may see his brother if you'd like. I'm sure Mr. Kaiba wouldn't mind." Aiko then closed the door, once Yugi was inside.

Ajin then suddenly stepped out, snapping, "Why are you letting him in? He looks like the Pharaoh!"

/So, what if he is? What do you want me to do about it? If I slam the door in his face, he might get suspicious./ Aiko mentally replied to Ajin.

/Yugi, stop/ Yami suddenly warned Yugi.

Yugi glanced at Yami, who seemed to be staring at the top of the stairs for some reason. /Spirit...what's wrong/

/It appears I'm not the only 'spirit' in this room./ Yami told him. Looking up at Ajin, he hoped it could hear him as he called out. "You there! Who are you? How do you know me?"

Ajin looked down, and blinked in confusion. Was he seeing double, or was there suddenly two of them there? "How did a second one of you appear? And...how can you hear me, or even see me?"

/Are you sure, spirit? I don't see anything.../ Yugi replied to him.

Yami glanced over at Aiko, then turned back to Yugi, stating/Don't you? That woman right there is one of them./

"What?" Yugi blurted suddenly, looking over at Aiko. "Are...are you a spirit?"

Aiko glanced at Yugi, then over at the spiritual form of Yami next to him. Then turning back to Yugi, she said, "I see. So...you're not the Pharaoh."

Yugi taken aback from that comment, asked her, "You know the pharaoh?"

"Of course I do." she scowled. "He's the reason that I'm stuck with 'him'!" She pointed in the direction of Ajin. Yugi looked, not seeing anyone for a moment. But then Ajin allowed himself to be seen, and materialized for Yugi.

Yami found himself at a loss from these two, as he asked, "But, how do you know me? Who are you two people?"

"And why are there ghosts inhabiting Kaiba's home?" Yugi added, still very confused.

Aiko didn't seem very happy about Yami, and retorted to them both, "Why should we explain anything to you?"

Yami retorted in a stern voice, "Because as far as we're concerned, you two are trespassing. Kaiba would have never allowed you two to be watching his home, and especially his sick brother!"

At that, Yugi had to stifle a grin. After all, they had only met Mokuba yesterday. True, Kaiba seemed nice to Mokuba...which was rare to even think of 'Kaiba' and 'nice' in the same sentence. But it was typical of Yami to automatically assume he knows something. And besides...Yugi would never argue the fact. He always assumed there was good in Kaiba from the very start, whether he knew Mokuba or not.

"Now, answer my question!" Yami continued his rant. "What have you done to Kaiba?"

"Who says we did anything to him?" Ajin asked, trying to sound innocent.

Yugi then suddenly answered, "Well...you guys did." Then pointing at Aiko, he added, "She said he wasn't here. So, you have to know where he is. And with Mokuba sick, I can't believe he would just run off on some business trip...leaving two spirits behind to watch him."

"Then I guess you don't know him as well as you think you do." Ajin sneered.

"That's where you're wrong." Yami said, with full confidence. "We know Kaiba enough to know he would never abandon his brother. Enough of these games...tell us where he is!"

"Fine...I'll tell you." Ajin stated. Then with an evil grin, he added, "But I must warn you. You may not like what I am about to say..."


	11. Chapter 11

"Fine...I'll tell you." Ajin stated. Then with an evil grin, he added, "But I must warn you. You may not like what I am about to say..."

"Then, tell us!" Yami demanded, impatiently waiting for an answer.

Ajin smiled evilly, stating, "I granted Seto Kaiba his deepest desire...to be with his parents again. So now, I'm afraid he's gone. He may return within the next hour in a half if he's not satisfied. But since it was his deepest desire...it's not very likely."

"I don't understand. You can...grant wishes?" Yami asked.

Aiko replied, "You don't remember much, do you? Let me help explain to you, so you understand better. You pharaoh, are the one that bound us to a magical box, sealing us within forever. Occasionally, there is a chosen that can open the box. When the box is opened, we are freed and can grant that person three wishes. We are also able to read the mind of the chosen one, so we can help grant that person his or her desire. Then when our job is done, we are resealed back within the magic box till a new chosen one appears."

"I see." Yami said. "So what exactly do you two get out of it for 'granting' these wishes?"

"If our current master is pleased with our work, he may grant us freedom from the box. Then, if we are granted freedom from the magic box, we are then allowed to choose our own destiny. Whether to remain on earth as a human or pass on to the afterlife." Aiko told them.

Yugi then jumped in asking, "But what does any of this have to do with the pharaoh?"

Aiko answered, "Long ago, I tried to steal the box, to help my family. At the time, I did not know anything about the box, except it was an item that might be worth something. But 'you' pharaoh could not simply forget the mistake of a common woman, and banished me into this box where you already had Ajin sealed."

"Oooh, don't forget about the part including your little tryst with his High Priest." Ajin teased.

Aiko looked coldly over at Ajin, snapping, "His name does not have to be involved in this. That has nothing to do with anything!"

But Ajin had no intention on letting that drop, stating, "During that time, Aiko was sleeping with your priest right under you nose Pharaoh, while she was stealing you blind behind your back...quite an embarrassment to both you 'and' your high priest, I'm sure."

"That's enough, Ajin!" Aiko snapped.

"...and low and behold, years later she now has to grant that very priest three wishes for him. Coincidence?" Ajin mused.

"What do you mean?" Yami asked. "Are you saying that Kaiba was..."

"Yes. Long ago, he was once known as the High Priest, Seth." Aiko admitted. "But as I stated, that has nothing to do with now." She then turned to Ajin, adding, "And I do wish you would stay out of my business!"

"Now, now, Aiko...be nice. After all, your business 'is' my business. We are bound for all eternity, so get used to it." he teased.

Aiko then turned to Yami, saying, "And he's lying, anyway. When I started to see the High Priest Seth, I stopped stealing. He gave me what I needed. The box was the only thing that tempted me. To this day, I don't know why. It was like it was calling to me..." She then glared at Ajin, adding, "It was probably your fault. You were undoubtedly trying to find some way to escape your punishment."

"Oh, sure...blame your clepto behavior on me, now!" Ajin retorted.

As they continued to argue, Yami was trying to remember anything they were saying...but none of it helped. Yugi looked to him, asking/Pharaoh, is all this true/

/I don't know, aibou. I remember very little about my past. But I would like to believe I would not punish someone so harshly, for such a minor crime./

"But, if you didn't do it, who did?" Yugi asked.

Aiko suddenly turned, hearing Yugi speaking to Yami. She suddenly butted in, asking, "Oh, you are trying to deny what you've done, Pharaoh? How dare you...I was there, when you sealed me away. Deny it all you want, but you will not convince me of being innocent from your cruelty. I will never forget the look of hatred in your eyes, just before I was sealed away, forever."

'Hatred? Over a box that trapped this person inside? It doesn't make sense. Why would I be so angered by her act?'

"If I was truly responsible, then I apologize for it. It was cruel to seal your life away, in such a manner."

Yami then turned to Ajin, asking, "So how were you trapped in the box?"

"The box was rumored to grant wishes." Ajin smiled. "I...found the box."

"He stole it." Aiko said, rolling her eyes.

"Who cares? The point is, it didn't seem to work for me, and trapped me inside here." Ajin stated, not too happy about it.

Aiko retorted, "Well, that's because the box didn't choose you, and you forced the box open! What do you expect?"

Since everyone seemed to have forgotten about him, Yugi suddenly cleared his throat, saying, "Uh...sorry. I don't mean to interrupt, but...can we see Mokuba?"

Aiko stopped arguing with Ajin, turned and headed up the stairs passed him, saying, "Of course. Right this way."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

"Mokuba." Kaiba had to resist the urge to push Noah out of the way, go straight to him, and make sure he was all right. He took a moment to look Mokuba over carefully, to make sure he was definitely well and not sick. He was not pleased that Mokuba was some kind of servant to Noah, and he was especially disapproving to the 'leash' Noah dared put around him, like a pet dog. But at least, he didn't appear to be abused, and he looked healthy.

And Kaiba didn't know why, but there was an odd look in Mokuba's eyes, as he stared back at him. It was as if this Mokuba really was 'his' Mokuba, and recognized Kaiba in the same way. There was an unmistakable connection he felt when Mokuba stared back at him. So then perhaps...it really 'was' him. After all, wasn't that what Ajin promised him? Suddenly all at once, this world didn't seem as bad anymore. With this Mokuba here, he didn't feel so alone. And soon...he 'would' find a way to help free Mokuba from Noah. He would succeed where the other Seto had failed. He'd never let his brother be enslaved and treated this way...never.

Noah looked at Kaiba with amusement. "Seto, how many times have I told you not to address my servant? You know he can't speak. If you have something to say then say it to me, unless of course you want to challenge me and suffer yet another embarrassing defeat."

Noah's words snapped Kaiba's attention back to Noah, and he glared at him. He could care less what Noah thought about the him from this world, but he couldn't stand how he treated Mokuba. "And why should I waste my time acknowledging you, Noah? I try to focus only on those that I find worthy...and you're not it. So, do you have anything useful to say to me, or did you just come here to bore me to death?" Kaiba wondered what he meant about Mokuba not being able to speak, but said nothing to Noah about it.

"Wow...what a quick come-back. That's not normal for you, Seto. You must have worked for days on that comeback." Noah mused. "Don't think I don't see what you're doing...out scouting around, looking for better cards to challenge me with. And look at that you've found...a Blue Eyes White Dragon. What a gold mine. Now, you finally got one card that might be worth more than all the cards between you and your friends combined. Too bad, it's still worthless, compared to the power of my dueling abilities. When will you ever learn...you can never match up to me, Seto. But at least now, you could maybe replace the card I took from Yugi's grandpa, hahahaha! Oh, btw...how is the old man? Did he ever recover from the hospital?"

Noah's comment reminded Kaiba a great deal of what he had once done to Yugi in the past, and wondered if somehow in this universe Noah had repeated what he had done. But he shook the thoughts from his head, refusing to dwell on the past. "I could careless about Yugi's relatives." Kaiba stated, surprising Noah. "And as for dueling skills...don't make me laugh. A spoiled punk like you could never match up to my dueling skills. I wouldn't even need a powerful deck to take you down."

Noah smirked at that, asking, "Is that so? So, I take that as a challenge, then? Fine...I'll accept. It'll be amusing to smear you once again in front of your little fan group. So, shall we go by the same rules and stakes as usual?"

Of course, Kaiba had no idea what the original stakes were. But as far as he could guess, if the Seto from this world couldn't defeat Noah, then he probably wasn't smart either, and didn't cover any loopholes in the deal. And the last thing he planned was to trust Noah with anything...especially Mokuba.

"Well Seto?" Noah questioned. "I'm waiting..."

Kaiba remembered that his supposed sister Angie had mentioned he had dueled Noah in the past in order to free Mokuba. That would mean, Kaiba would have an advantage. 'That fool Noah probably thinks I duel like some inept idiot...that's going to be his downfall.' "No."

"What?" Noah questioned.

Kaiba answered, "I'll duel you, Noah...but only on 'my' terms. That is...unless you're afraid I might gain too much of an advantage."

"Hmph...don't be ridiculous. I could give you all the cards I ever collected from Duel Monsters, and you'd still loose. You have some new rules to this contest, I'll accept. We'll duel this Saturday. Figure out what your demands are, and email me on it." Noah stated.

Then before Kaiba could answer, Noah glanced at the locket hanging around Kaiba's neck something he'd never seen before. Noah brought his hand up and flicked it saying, "Maybe you can even use whatever special card you have stuffed in that locket of yours. Lord knows you can use all the help you can get."

Kaiba immediately grabbed his locket from Noah's hands protectively, angry with him for daring to touch one of the few things he had ever found truly valuable to him. Noah simply turned and began to walk away, laughing. "I'll be waiting for you Saturday, Seto Yagakamiya...don't keep me waiting. Come along, Mokuba."

Kaiba's focus was so much on Noah, only now did his attention draw back to Mokuba...now that his name was muttered, now that he felt something skim the side of his trench coat to see Mokuba right there by his side. Mokuba gave Kaiba that same odd look in his eyes, before he slowly turned and walked away, following Noah as he was told.

It pained Kaiba to watch him walk away from him like that. It made him want to challenge Noah right then and there. But he couldn't be rash about this. If he was going to help his brother, he had to prepare for it.

After they were finally gone, Kaiba muttered, "I think it's time I find out exactly what I have to fight him with." Kaiba then turned and headed back home, ready to start preparing for Saturday.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Aiko entered Mokuba's room, followed by Yugi, and Yami...and finally Ajin. And yet, when Ajin attempted to enter the room, and unknown forced seemed to stop him.

'What is this?' he thought. "Aiko...what are you up to? If it is some kind of stupid game of yours, I advise you to stop it now."

They all turned and noticed Ajin seemed to be stopped by some kind of unseen barrier. Yami turned to Aiko, asking, "Why can't he get in?"

"I was fulfilling a request, Ajin. Before Kaiba left to see you, he had an unspoken wish for his brother to be kept safe at all cost. I agreed to do that, so I had placed a barrier to keep all with evil intentions from entering this room. Unfortunately, you seem to fall into that category." Aiko told him.

Ajin glared at her, stating, "I'm not amused. Now stop feeling foolish, Aiko. You don't have to put a shield around the brat, for him to stay safe. After all...we're already here to protect him."

As he said this, Ajin also gave her a mental reply/Have you forgotten your place, Aiko? You know it is not wise to try and challenge me. My power greatly surpasses yours. If you are foolish enough to challenge against me, I will make sure you pay for it./

Aiko stared at Ajin grimly, saying, "You know once an wish agreement is made, one can't undo it without going against the wish. I can't do that, Ajin. And, I...I..." She looked away, knowing these words may seal her fate. "...I wont do it, either. You 'are' a potential threat to this boy, Ajin. And I wont go against my word to Kaiba."

"Is this your final answer?" Ajin asked, as his powers began to charge up, ready to strike against the barrier Aiko had placed on the room.

Both Yugi and Yami backed away, sensing the growing surge of dark energy. Yami stayed in front of Yugi protectively, as Yugi turned to Aiko, asking, "Aiko...can he really break through this force field you made?"

"Probably. My powers are minor compared to his strength. I will try to keep him at bay, but I couldn't say for how long..." she muttered.

"Your shield will hold for as long as your resolve to protect your charge is strong. The stronger your resolve is, the stronger your shield will be, my child."

Everyone looked around, after the mysterious voice spoke...including Ajin, who had no idea what that was. "More parlor tricks, Aiko? You're pitiful bluff wont work on me!"

"I didn't do that!" Aiko snapped.

Yugi turned to Yami, asking/Yami...was that you/

/No, Yugi...I have no idea where that came from./

Yugi then looked around, before noticing what appeared to him as some old beat-up box. "Say, is this the box you two came from?"

"That's right." Aiko replied. "Kaiba had it brought in here before he left."

Yugi then asked, "Well...could the voice have come from that?"

"Don't be ridiculous. The box doesn't 'talk'." Ajin snapped. But after which, he glanced over at the box, his eye twitching a bit as he considered the possibility. 'Why 'did' the box choose Kaiba, after all? It never chose anyone before. Could what it said be true?' Quickly, Ajin once again returned to summoning his power. Now more than ever, he decided it was imperative to get into that room. Not for Mokuba, but to remove Aiko from the picture, incase she may ever become any potential threat against him.

Aiko backed up, trying to concentrate on keeping the shield strong in order to protect Mokuba, and try not to think of what he would do to her, if he got through.

Yami then moved in front of them both, saying, "Don't worry, Aiko. Even if he does get through, he'll have to get through 'me' first!"

Aiko blinked, surprised by Yami's words. 'Did he just say he was going to protect me? But...why? He was the one that banished me into this box, in the first place...'

As if he Yugi could sense her unspoken question, he then turned to her, asking, "Aiko...are you sure Yami is the one responsible for banishing you into that box? We have been connected for some time, now. And I can assure you, Yami is not the kind of person to be as hateful as you claim. If anything...your partner Ajin seems to be the evil one. After all...due to his evil, he's not even allowed in here. Could he have done this to you?"

Aiko blinked at the thought, then shook it away. "That's not possible. I saw the pharaoh do this act against me with my own eyes."

"Well...is Ajin able to influence or possess another? Could it have been possible for him to do that to Yami?" Yugi asked.

Again, Aiko thought about that. Indeed, she had seen Ajin do exactly that in the past, and to the very people who Ajin was granting wishes to...or his twisted version of a wish. "Well...I suppose. But, why would he want to?"

"Don't tell me you're actually listening to the words of the pharaoh's lackey? Obviously, he'd say anything to make him look good in your eyes. But you've already seen first-hand what the pharaoh is capable of!" Ajin snapped.

Yugi then retorted, "Well, if Yami's so evil, then why was 'he' able to penetrate the shield, when Ajin couldn't?"

"Shut up, you pitiful whelp! You don't know a thing. Obviously, the pharaoh had brainwashed you, after he had possessed you. Well, don't worry...I'll finish the both of you off as well, when I am through!" Ajin hissed.

Aiko had never questioned the fact that Yami did it. But now, after all the words between Yugi and Ajin...she really began to wonder. Was it Yami that was responsible? Was she stuck in their all this time with Ajin, because of him? 'But...if that's the case, what is it that you want of me, Ajin? Why would you trap me with you...?'

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Kaiba was deep in thought as he headed back to this alternate reality home. Now after meeting Noah, he finally recognized who this punk was they kept talking about. When Kaiba was younger, he had a mild remembrance of his name, and his picture...a portrait that once sat on Gozaburo's fireplace, which was soon taken down. Once or twice, he had remembered hearing Gozaburo mention Noah, while talking to someone else.

Noah had died...at least in his world. Gozaburo had lost his son. Kaiba didn't know how, nor did he care. But now he had the chance to finally see what this spawn of Gozaburo was like upfront and personal...and he wasn't impressed. As far as Kaiba was concerned, Noah seemed to be just as evil as his father. But there was a big difference, too. While Gozaburo was cunning and dangerous, his kid was spoiled and stupid. "Pampered rich kids." Kaiba spat. "Why am I not surprised..."

The irony of this was that any other teenager from his universe would probably compare him with the same words. But the difference was...Kaiba knew better. He never compared himself as any normal rich kid. His childhood was 'anything' but pampered. He had to do all in his power just to stay alive, and keep Mokuba from sinking into a pit of darkness, the same way he did. There were many things that people could compare Kaiba to...but spoiled wasn't one of them.

But besides the duel coming up, there was one more thing weighing on Kaiba's mind...Mokuba.

"I should have known this stupid wish was nothing more than a trick." he muttered. Sure, Mokuba was healthy and not sick, just as agreed. But now he was a slave to Noah. But that wasn't what scared him the most. The main fact of the matter was now Mokuba was in Gozaburo's home, without anyone to protect him, no one to save him.

He could only hope that Gozaburo was more interested in his son, then focusing on his brother. But now his little brother was in constant danger, as long as he was there in Gozaburo's mansion. "It's my fault." Kaiba muttered in guilt. "I let him convince me that this supposed wish could help my brother. But now he's only in more danger than ever."

'I don't want this...I don't want any of this. But how do I get back?' Kaiba wondered. The only thing he could do was do what he could here to protect his brother. Hopefully, when they were once again reunited, they could figure out a way to return home...back where everything was normal and sane again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

A/N:

Someone asked if Yagakamiya is Seto's real last name before he was adopted. The answer is no. It is unknown what his last name was before he was adopted. It's never been revealed. Even in the book Pojo's unofficial guide to YU-GI-OH it tells a lot of things like Kaiba's mother dieing giving birth to Mokuba and it shows a picture of Kaiba's father's car in a lamp post. Which is probably why a lot of fan fictions often depict his real father as drunk. No, Seto's last name before he was adopted is whatever the author of the fan fiction your reading says it is. You can read Clarity's story based off of this one called Blast From the Past as a good example.

In this case, the name I think I read a fan fiction once where his last name was Yaga or something similar. Don't ask what story cause I don't remember. Kamiya is Tai and Kari's last name in Digimon. So, I just put the two together.


	12. Chapter 12

Yugi and the others felt they'd given Kaiba enough time to calm down, and went in search of him.

"Where do you think he could have gone?" Tristan asked.

Joey answered, "I dunno. Say, you don't think that he'd be dumb enough to go off and challenge Noah, do ya?"

"In his current condition, that wouldn't be good." Tea said.

Tristan then said, "Then again, if this guy really is a Kaiba, maybe they're working together."

"We don't know that, yet." Angie said. "I don't care who he claims to be...he's still my brother."

"Don't worry." Yugi said, putting a hand on Angie. "We'll find your brother."

Angie sighed. "Thanks, Yugi. At least he wasn't wearing his dueling belt, so we know he couldn't have gotten himself in 'that' much trouble. After all, if he doesn't have his belt, he doesn't have his cards...so he couldn't have dueled anyone."

"Well, that's a relief." Joey stated.

Yugi said, "Why don't we start by checking where he normally goes. With luck, maybe he remembered something and went to one of them."

As they continued to look around the area, they froze hearing a voice. "Well, well...so you geeks are out looking for your friend Seto, are you?"

They all whirled around to see Noah standing there, holding Mokuba by his leash. "Noah!" Yugi cried out. "What do you want?"

But then Angie blurted out, "And why did you mention my brother?"

"Don't you know, yet? The fool challenged me to another duel. Ready to watch your friend be humiliated again? You know, I think I'll even raise the stakes a bit, this time." Noah looked down at Mokuba, saying, "This slave 'is' getting a bit old. Maybe I'll walk Seto around for a week. It would be kind of fun to have him polishing my shoes. Hahahahaha!"

"You leave my brother alone!" Angie cried out in anger.

Noah stopped laughing, and glared over at them. "Who do you think you fools are talking to? I am Noah Kaiba, and I 'own' this city. I can do whatever I want, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. Besides, you little groupies have all tried to challenge me in the past, and I crushed you all, so there is nothing you can do about it."

Then with a smirk, Noah added, "Besides...it was your foolish friend who challenged me. If he's too stupid to get the hint by now that he's over his head, then the idiot deserves his fate!" Noah then turned around and walked away, saying, "Good day, gentlemen. I'll see you all Saturday."

"How could he...he knows he can't beat him!" Joey blurted. "Dammit, when is that jerk gonna learn!"

"Well...look on the bright side. If he's challenging Noah, then at least we know he aint on Noah's side." Tristan said.

Yugi then smiled at that, saying, "Maybe he remembered! Maybe he's back to normal!"

"Well, at least we know he can't be too far. Let's go find him!" Angie said. Immediately they began to give chase.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

An hour later at the mansion, Mokuba sat alone in his room. Noah was working with his father, so he had some free time to himself.

/Mokuba, why did you give Seto those cards? He has cards of his own./

"Maybe...but I'm going to help my big brother as much as I can. Perhaps Noah doesn't like dragons, but I know Seto sure does...especially the Blue Eyes White Dragons. They're like a part of him. And when he has all three, nothing can stop him!"

/But he's not your brother...at least not here./

"But...that's not true." Mokuba answered. "I don't know how to explain this...maybe you felt it, yourself. But that's not the Seto from this world that you know, it's 'my' Seto."

Mokie thought about this, before replying/You know...you're right. I did feel something different about him. Almost like a more...distant feeling. But then, why is he here/

"Who knows? Why am I here? That's why we have to help him out, so he can help the both of us get back to where we belong."

/That makes sense, I guess./ Mokie said. /So, now what? How else could we help him/

"Hmm...well, Seto always told me before you can take on an opponent, you have to learn everything about him. So, maybe we should get as much information as we can."

/And how do we do that/

Mokuba answered, "Well, first I need to know everything about what's going on around me. So, how about we talk about what our worlds are like to each other, so we understand each other better. Does that sound okay to you?"

Mokie thought about that, then shrugged. /Okay./

So, the two consciousness of both Mokuba's began to explain their lives to each other.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Finally, after another 1/2 hour, Yugi and the others finally spotted Seto walking through the park and gave chase to him.

Joey was first to get his attention, as he yelled, "Hey, Seto...wait up!"

Kaiba stopped and turned to see...yep. It was Yugi and the geek squad. 'Great. As if my day couldn't get any worse.'

As they approached, the group suddenly surprised Kaiba, as they surrounded him from out of nowhere. Joey grabbed him by one of his shoulders, Tristan grabbed the other, and together they shoved him down to sit on a bench he was close to.

Before Kaiba could protest, Yami glared down at him, stating, "Seto...it's time that we talked."

Kaiba glanced at either side of him, then straight ahead at Yami and smirked. "So...am I supposed to be concerned that I'm being ganged up on by the nerd heard? Somehow...you're lame attempts at trying to be tough just isn't working."

"Listen, Seto...it's time you drop the tough attitude act, and start talking!" Joey snapped.

Kaiba asked, "Who's acting?" Shrugging the two of them off of him, he crossed his arms, saying, "And why should I waste my time talking with you losers? As far as I'm concerned...there's nothing worth discussing with you."

"What do you mean nothing? We just ran into Noah, and he told us that you plan to duel him again on Saturday." Tea said.

"Yeah, that means we only got a week to try and get you out of this mess!" Tristan exclaimed.

By this time, Yami had returned back to Yugi, who was thinking about this. "Well on Monday, Noah is supposed to be at one of the preliminary tournaments over at Pegasus Land. So, maybe we can all go over there, and you could apologize to him."

Kaiba just stared at Yugi in shock from his words. "I'm not hearing this right."

Angie now sat down, saying, "I now, it'll probably require a lot of groveling from you, but if you don't...you know the kind of stakes Noah's going to ask from you, brother. Believe me, it's not worth it!"

"Grovel?" Kaiba snapped, standing up from the seat they just sat him at. "Is this supposed to be some kind sick joke?"

Joey replied, "Come on, Seto...I don't like any of this, either. But you're the one that got yourself into this mess. Now ya gotta get yourself out of it!"

Kaiba took his hand, shoving Joey out of the way since he had no respect for him anyway, as he approached Yugi glaring down at him. "Just tell me you don't agree with this, Yugi. You don't obviously believe that I should back down from a challenge...do you?"

"I..." Yugi said, feeling some conflict from his other 1/2 the way Kaiba worded it, but Yugi lowered his head. "Seto...Noah beat us both. We've already both tried to fight him...it's useless. And you've fought him many times before, and you've never..."

Kaiba just grabbed Yugi by the collar, pulling him up to his face, shocking Yugi. "And so you think I should just give up? Where is your backbone, Yugi! Where's that other personality of yours when you need him, because I have a feeling he wouldn't agree with you. The Yugi I know wouldn't just curl up and die from one loss!"

Yugi looked up at Kaiba, then turned away...unable to look Kaiba in the eyes. Yugi then sadly said, "You're right."

Kaiba let him go, ready to hear what he had to say. The others seemed to have all quieted down, waiting for Yugi to speak. With his head down, he said, "We tried to help you before, to fight Noah and free Mokuba...but anyone that had any ability to duel Noah, he blackmailed so we wouldn't fight him again."

Yugi now looked back up to Kaiba. "Noah found out my grandpa had a BEWD card, and he wanted it. When grandpa refused, Noah found which bank held the mortgage on our home and bought it up, as well as our store. He then threatened if grandpa didn't sell the card, he would kick us out. Grandpa had no choice."

Kaiba remembered Noah saying something about his grandfather, but it didn't match up. "But Noah said your grandfather was in the hospital. What's that have to do with this illness?"

"Ever since Noah's been blackmailing us, Grandpa's been very sick. He's ended up in the hospital already once with heart-problems, due to stress. I haven't tried to fight Noah anymore, since I feared what it could do to grandpa...and Noah could do to us, if he wanted to." Yugi explained.

Then Joey added, "Yeah...and he aint the only one. Noah found out dat my sister needed an eye operation, or she'd loose her sight. So, out of the blue he paid for her operation. I was really grateful and all, until he dangled it over my head, saying I owed him for my sista's sight and I better not try and interfere with anything he does."

Kaiba never bothered to look towards Joey, his focus still on Yugi, as he answered, "Well...that's really no big loss. By your not interfering, he probably did me a favor. So I wouldn't worry about it too much, mutt...it's better off if you stay out of the way."

Everyone stared at Kaiba in disbelief that he just said that to Joey, while Angie ended up swatting him for the second time now, since he's been here. "Will you stop being such a jerk? You say that Yugi's not like the person you know...well, what about you? Where is the brother I knew? It's like you're not even the same guy! These people are your friends, and I'm your sister? Doesn't that matter to you?"

Kaiba glanced over at her, as he felt an odd pang of guilt shoot through him. She was supposed to see his sister...that meant they were family, which he always preached to Mokuba was all that was important. The problem was, he didn't see her as his sister. How could he? She was a complete stranger in his eyes.

Burying the odd feeling of guilt from his head, he turned away, muttering, "I don't have time for this. I have a duel to prepare for..."

"To protect Mokuba, right? The one you said was your brother?" Angie asked. That caused Kaiba to stop his pace for the moment, his back still facing them.

Angie stated, "He's not even related to you, Seto...but I am. So, why are you putting him over me?"

There was a long pause, before he finally turned towards her. He couldn't ignore it. Maybe he didn't recognize her as anything, but in this world she was his sister...making her his obligation, as well. It didn't matter if she was adopted...he'd be damned if he decided to compare her as Gozaburo did him. He finally answered, "I'm sorry. You're brothers not here. And I'm not sure how, but some way...I'll make sure he gets back to you. But right now, I have to take care of this matter, first."

Before Kaiba could leave, Yami now came out, calling out, "Seto! You claim you are not her brother. If you are not Seto...then who are you?"

"Hmph." Kaiba muttered. "I should have expected you to take my words literally." He turned towards Yugi and smirked, "I have amnesia, remember? I'm afraid she's not going to get her brother back, until my memories are back. Now, why don't you losers get a life, and go bother someone else for a change."

Kaiba began to walk again, and this time stopped on his own. Then turning towards them, he asked, "I have only one question I need answered. Noah told me that Mokuba can't speak. What is he talking about? Is he a mute?"

They all looked at each other, then back at Kaiba. Tristan shrugged, saying, "Well, we've never heard him talk."

"But you said that he talks to you all the time." Joey said.

Yugi was the one standing there at the moment, as he said, "I don't think Noah allows him to talk in public. At least...that's my guess."

"Fine. That's all I needed to know." Kaiba then turned, walking away.

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It was fortunate for Kaiba that he memorized the way back to his new house. He was tempted to tell them the truth of who he was, but didn't see any point in doing so. What would he have to gain? If anything, he was concerned that if he told them the truth that would give Yugi's friendship group time to do something stupid, like accidentally blab it to Noah. Then he would loose his advantage.

'It's not my problem, anyway...they can figure it out on their own.' Kaiba decided. Besides, he was barely able to think about that anymore, after what they said about Mokuba. He could only pray that neither Noah nor Gozaburo did any serious harm to him. Even if he wasn't the one that belonged here, even if this was some kind of fantasy world created by Ajin...he still somehow felt responsible for anything that happened to Mokuba here.

'I wished for this?' he wondered, then shook his head. 'No...this is not what I wished for. I would never wish something like that on Mokuba.' But was that really 'his' Mokuba...or this fantasy world's Mokuba, because it sure felt like it was really his brother. 'I hope not.' he thought. 'Mokuba would be better off sick.'

As he entered the house, his mother noticed and approached. "You're back. How are you doing, honey? Did you remember anything, yet?"

Again, Kaiba had that weird unnerved feeling about being in the presence of a dead woman he barely remembered, finally managing to spit out, "A little." It was a lie, but from what he learned of this place, he could easily fake it if he was tested...and answering in that way he felt would probably make her feel better.

"Well, that's good...I was worried. Are you hungry, yet? You didn't eat much..." she said.

"No thanks." Kaiba said, and moved away from her. "I'm going to my room."

"Okay. If you need anything, don't be afraid to call me." she said.

Kaiba headed to the stairs, and was able to hear the father come in and begin to lecture the mother about her 'babying' him, as he went up the stairs. The whole idea of a whole family was just too strange for him. He had been without one for so long, he had no idea how he was supposed to act around them. Plus, he had been an independent adult since he was, what...10? 15? And these people were trying to treat him like some kid.

The best way Kaiba found to deal with it for the moment, was to ignore it and focus on what he had to do. Finally, in his room, he found some kind of belt similar to Yugi's that had his deck. He looked through it, and wasn't impressed. Next, he found a pouch that carried his extra cards. That alone disgusted him to see the way he had them just piled in there, slowly destroying and possibly bending good cards. He took them out and quickly transferred them to a box to at least keep them in better shape.

As he was going through the extra pile, he was shocked to find among them was another Blue Eyes White Dragon. 'What?' he questioned himself. Yes, it was surprising to find this other version of him had another extremely rare card, but even more shocking that he didn't have it in his deck.

Kaiba then took his coat off, laying it on the bed, and going through his pockets to get the card, he just bought. But as he was looking through them, he found more cards wrapped in a rubber band. "Where did these come from?" he asked himself out loud.

As Kaiba tried to remember, a flashback came to him of Noah leaving, calling for Mokuba. And there was Mokuba right by his side, as he skimmed passed Kaiba, returning to Noah...grazing passed the very side he had these cards in. And then Kaiba realized it. "Mokuba...'he' gave them to me!"

'Of course, that's why he was standing there.' Kaiba thought, as a smile came to his face. It reminded him of his own brother who snuck that made-up BEWD card to him, when he was younger. "Looks like you're trying to save me again." he muttered, as he pulled the rubber band off, and began to shuffle through the cards.

...and then he stopped to see yet another BEWD card. It was the third card. Now he had all three. He pulled out the card, muttering, "Thanks, Mokuba. I wont disappoint you...I 'will' save you from him...I promise."

Now with all three BEWDs, Kaiba began to redo his deck, and make it the best deck Seto Yagakamiya ever had.


	13. Chapter 13

Back in the real world, Ajin was still trying to break through he force field Aiko had created. During that time, the others were beginning to argue amongst themselves.

Yugi stated, "You said you've been in that box all that time. So, how would you not be able to know if the box could talk?"

"Listen...it never talked to any of us. Let me help enlighten you about something...being stuck in an object for thousands of years doesn't make me any smarter than you or anyone else." Aiko snapped at him.

Yami scowled at the comment, finding it too close to his own fate...being trapped in a puzzle for thousands of years. But not exactly sure how to reply against such a comment, he instead ordered, "Do not speak to my light in that tone."

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it...lock me in another box?" Aiko snarled at him.

Yami, glancing over at Ajin who was still trying to break through the barrier, and replied, "At the moment, I have a feeling if I did that I'd be doing you a favor..."

"Good point." Aiko sighed.

Yugi then turned to Yami, asking him, "Spirit...can you tell if the voice was caused from the box?"

"It's possible. I am sensing a great deal of power coming from it." Yami mentally replied.

Aiko sighed, lowering her head. "I should have never let you two inside. Because I did, I now placed you both in danger from him."

"It's not your fault, Aiko. You didn't know this was going to happen." Yugi said.

But Aiko shook her head. "You're wrong. I know how he can be. He has killed before, I just never dared try to stand and oppose him. I knew letting you in the house could put you in danger." She turned away from them in shame, stating, "The fact of the matter was...I didn't care. I looked in your eyes Yugi, and recognized the Pharaoh. I knew Ajin might try something because of who you are...but I didn't care. Maybe I'm no better than he is."

"If you feel regret for such a decision, then no...you are nothing like him." Yami told her.

Aiko smiled at him, saying, "Thank you. You know...I believe you, now. Though you have the same eyes, the same face...the sheer hate I saw in you in the past is not there. All this time I had felt you were the cause of this. But now, I am finally starting to realize that my anger had been misplaced."

"If you believe him, then you are more stupid than I originally thought!" Ajin spat.

Aiko snapped back, "Right now, I'm more inclined to believe them over you!"

"You never did fully explain what happened to Kaiba." Yami stated.

Yugi now jumped in, saying, "Yeah. I'm surprised Kaiba actually believed Ajin about the wish-thing, in the first place. And what exactly did he wish for?"

"Kaiba's wish was more of an unspoken one. When a person makes a wish in their head, we can sense that, too. Kaiba had wished for his parents to have been alive, and that he lived a normal life." Aiko explained.

Both Yami and Yugi looked at Aiko, strangely. Yami was the one that spoke. "When did Kaiba's parents die?"

"You mean you didn't know?" Aiko asked.

"No, Kaiba doesn't talk about his life. In fact, he doesn't say much of anything about his personal life." Yami explained.

"Yeah, we only found out yesterday that he had a brother." Yugi added.

"I see. Well I suppose he'd kill me if I told you this, then...but I will tell you. Their mother died shortly after young Mokuba there was born." Aiko started.

"Wow. How old was Kaiba, at the time?" Yugi asked.

"He was 5." Aiko said.

"That must have been horrible to lose your mother so young." Yugi said, looking sad.

"But young Seto's tragedy had just begun, during that time. When he was 8, his father was killed in a car accident. Now so then Seto was alone with no one but his little 3-year-old brother left." Aiko said.

"Wait...so you're saying that they had no relatives left?" Yugi asked.

"They had relatives. But the little money their parents had left, the relatives took along with anything else of value, and threw them both into an orphanage." Aiko said.

Both Yugi and Yami gasped in shock. Yugi replied, "No wonder Kaiba never wanted to talk about his past."

Yami stated, "I guess that explains a lot, as to why he is the way he is. So Gozaburo Kaiba wasn't even his real father, then."

"No. After 3 years of being in the orphanage, Gozaburo Kaiba came there to donate money as a publicity stunt, to gain more media attention for which he craved. Young Seto challenged him to a chess match in which if Seto won, he must adopt both boys. Seto did win that day, but then...that's when the real nightmare began." Aiko told them.

Yami was about to ask what she meant by that, but then Yugi spoke. "Uh...not to be rude or anything, but that doesn't really explain why Kaiba's gone. What's that have to do with him not being here?"

"Ajin doesn't have the power to bring back the living or twist time and space itself to make this world the way Kaiba would like it. So instead, he twisted Kaiba's wish into something Ajin could handle casting. He cast Kaiba into another reality, where his parents still lived." Aiko explained.

Yugi's eyes widened. "Oh! So that means Kaiba's...happy." Yugi looked over at Mokuba, laying there sick. He then added, "But what about Mokuba? Doesn't he realize he would be leaving him behind?"

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Back in the alternate world, Kaiba had finished creating his perfect deck and was impressed that even in this world he owned all 3 Blues Eyes White Dragon cards. It seemed he already owned one in his deck, then the one he bought made two. Then of course when Mokuba slipped him those extra cards, it made his deck complete.

'Mokuba...' Kaiba thought. He was certain that was 'his' brother, not just another aspect of this weird reality. He had noticed there were miniature aspects of everyone that was slightly different from the people he knew from his world. And when they looked at Kaiba and the way he acted, even if they knew him they saw him like a stranger in their eyes. But Mokuba was different. When he was there with him, he felt like he was back home again...like nothing would stand in Kaiba's way to protect him.

Pushing his concerns back for his brother, he decided to rest up. In the morning, he would go to this Pegasus Land, if just to see what it was. Not only that, Kaiba didn't trust the others. He already made it more than apparent that he wasn't going to 'beg' his way out of this deal. But that didn't mean Yugi's little group wasn't going to go over there and cause problems, and try to talk Noah out of it for 'his' sake.

Time seemed to move slowly that night for Kaiba. He was so worried about Mokuba; he could barely sleep, knowing his own brother was possibly stuck in that mansion, with Noah doing 'who knows' to him. If only he never listened to Ajin and got suckered into this, he could be back home safe with his brother, and not stuck in this strange world.

But then again...maybe there was a reason he was sent here.

The very thought was scoffed at, and quickly buried. 'Yeah, right...maybe it was fate, as if I'd ever believe in that.'

But once again, the thought surfaced against his own will. He quickly realized the reason he felt that way was because the Seto of this world kept failing against Noah to help Mokuba. Perhaps his presence here could succeed where this other world's self could not. Then in this world, they could be together as well. And he had to admit, he liked the idea of being the one to come and save Mokuba, for a change. In his world, somehow it was Yugi that always showed up...and if there's one thing he hated, it was owing someone, especially him.

But one thing that also caught Kaiba's curiosity, was why in this world Mokuba and him weren't related? It made no sense. In his world, they were true brothers. How could they look the same, be named the same...and not be related to each other? It wasn't logical. So, since Kaiba couldn't sleep anyway, he decided to get up and satisfy his curiosity. Kaiba began to do some research on the both of them, hacking into the random computer medical files to learn more about it.

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After what was said about Kaiba's past and his wish, Yami began to question himself if maybe Kaiba 'did' leave Mokuba behind. After all, Mokuba wasn't even mentioned to anyone in the beginning. They never even knew he had a brother. Maybe Kaiba really didn't care about him, as Ajin had stated earlier.

Aiko said to them, "Ajin told Kaiba that Mokuba would be there, and would be healthy. It was true, but I'm not positive if Kaiba grasped that it wouldn't be 'his' Mokuba, but the Mokuba from that world."

Aiko then turned to the boy, and sighed. "Poor child. Ajin may be right...Kaiba may never return to claim him. One can only hope that Ajin's universe is so twisted, that Kaiba might still want to return. Otherwise...we may never see him again."

"You wont see him, you fools!" Ajin spat out. "I gave him his hearts desire...he will never return!" Then with a sneer, he added, "And how convenient that would be. As long as he's gone, we are on permanent hold, never having to grant another wish or be shoved in that cursed box. I will kill you all and finally begin to enjoy my own life...of taking over this world!"

Aiko then turned to Ajin, stating, "But I thought you wanted to grant wishes. You always seemed so happy about it, before."

"I was also promised with enough wishes, I could surpass my own greatness and become a Jinx." Ajin stated.

Yami blinked. "A Jinx?" he asked, no idea what that is.

"A Jinx is a higher level of magi." Aiko explained. "If you can become a Jinx, you can supposedly even bring the dead back to life...you're power is limitless."

"And I have a new idea." Ajin sneered. "Perhaps with the Pharaoh's ancient power added to mine, it will be all I need to achieve the power of the Jinx. Then I can finally stop wasting my time with these pathetic wishes!"

"I wont allow it." Aiko said, with concern in her voice.

Yugi the snapped at Ajin, "I think you're bluffing! If you had the power to do that, then you would have gone after Yami back when he was still the pharaoh."

"Ahhh...but there's something Aiko hasn't told you, young one. The longer one stays in the box, the greater their power grows. I lacked the power to defeat the pharaoh back then. But after 5000 years, now my power is unmatched. Your Pharaoh no longer has a chance against me!" Ajin stated.

Yami turned to Aiko, asking, "Is this true? Does your power grow in the box, over time?"

But Aiko wasn't paying attention, busy glaring at Ajin. "What do you mean 'you lacked the power' then? Are you trying to say...you attempted to take down the Pharaoh, before the time I was trapped with you?"

Ajin grinned, stating, "Let's not get into details right now, Aiko. I'm a bit occupied...I have guests to kill. And as soon as your little shield is down, you are all finished. And personally, I don't see why you struggle so hard for someone who's going to die, anyway."

Aiko turned pale from the comment.

"We're not going anywhere, Ajin!" Yami stated.

But Yugi studied Aiko, and said, "Spirit...I don't think Ajin's talking about us. What does he mean, Aiko? You're not dying...are you?"

"No." she said, lowering her head. "Ajin must have overheard what the phone call was about, earlier." She turned to Mokuba, saying, "The doctor called a little while ago, regarding Mokuba. I'm afraid he has a rare virus, which there is no cure for. He's dying. I'm not sure how I'm going to give Kaiba the news."

Yugi gasped, shocked from this information. "Mokuba's dying? That's terrible! And we just got to know him. There's nothing they can do for him?"

"Not in the way of medicine, I'm afraid. As for the way of magic...I cannot say. But I will do all in my power that I can to try and save him."

"Save your breath, Aiko...you lack the power of helping that brat. And you shouldn't worry about what to tell Kaiba. After all, he's not coming back...remember?" Ajin mused. "But if out of some miracle he does return, I'll be delighted to give him the news. And you fools won't be around to tell him, anyway...even if he does come back."

They tried to ignore Ajin's taunting for now. Yugi held back his tears trying to stay strong, and Yami approached Mokuba's weak form, putting his hand across Mokuba's forehead.

As he did, Aiko approached saying, "There's something more. For some reason, I've been having this strange sensation for the past hour...like a missing factor, if you will."

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know, but it's only in this room. I've not sensed it anywhere else in the house." Aiko said.

"Hmmm..." Yami muttered, concentrating on Mokuba. "I think I know what it is..."

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Back in the alternate world, Kaiba was already up and getting dressed to go to Pegasus Land. He dreaded the idea of having to go here just to see all the people he couldn't stand, but it was the only way he could guarantee Yugi's group didn't mess anything up. Besides...if Noah was there, that would also mean Mokuba was here, or so he hoped. Any chance to see Mokuba again was well worth showing up for.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the bedroom door, pulling him back to reality...or at least 'this' reality. Angie called out to him, "Seto, breakfast is ready."

When she was met with silence, she tried again. "Come on, Mom and Dad have already left for work."

There was still no answer, and she checked the time quick, wondering if he was really having that hard a time to wake up. Again she called out at the closed bedroom door, "Come on, Seto! We're supposed to meet the others at 7:30, before going to Pegasus Land...and it's 7:15!" She was about to knock again, when the door suddenly opened, causing her to immediately real back in surprise. "Oh...your awake."

Kaiba ignored Angie, and walked on past her. She sighed and was about to turn to follow him, when she noticed a difference...his room was immaculate. What used to be clothes and things thrown everywhere was now perfectly spotless and in its own particular place. 'This can't be my brother.' she thought, as she turned and went to follow him.

Once she caught up to him, she immediately noticed he was missing something, and said with a start, "Wait a minute! Seto, you forgot your dueling belt!"

"My what?"

"You know, you're dueling belt...the thing you keep your deck in, when you go anywhere." she said. When he still didn't acknowledge any recollection, she added, "It looks kinda like Yugi's belt."

That reminded him, well enough. "Oh, that." he answered, with a sour look on his face. Turning away, he muttered, "Thanks, but no thanks. Yugi can keep his pathetic clothing style to himself."

"Yugi didn't give you that." she said sadly. "...I did. It was a birthday present."

He flinched hearing that. The last thing he needed was a guilt speech. He already had a brother to be responsible for...he didn't need any more attachments. After inwardly cursing himself ten times, he attempted to look softer towards her, saying, "Listen...you need to understand something. I don't remember any of this. And I'm sure as soon as those memories return, I'll be happy to be the brother you remember. But there are some things I need to take care of. It would be better off for all of you right now, if you just stay out of my way."

It probably wasn't the best speech in the world, but he wasn't very good at giving pep talks, especially to complete strangers.

And it didn't seem to cheer her up much, either. She just drooped her head, saying, "Yeah, I got it."

It was a long silent walk, and Kaiba was following behind Angie since he had never been there, before. But finally, Angie got him to the spot...a park.

Kaiba began to scowl, realizing this was definitely not Pegasus Land. It appeared that Angie must have made some arrangements to meet at the park first, before heading to their destination. And Kaiba was now pissed, feeling they had wasted his time dragging him somewhere he didn't want to be.

Tea was the first of the group to approach. She went immediately over to Angie, who seemed depressed, and asked her, "Angie, are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah...I'm fine." she lied. She was still depressed that her brother was no longer wearing the belt she had given him for his birthday...something he hadn't lived without, since she got it for him.

Tea didn't know exactly what it was to make Angie depressed. But since she was with Kaiba, who was the background brooding, she could assume he must have said something to set her off again. With a smile, Tea said, "It's Seto again, isn't it? Don't worry about, Angie. Just remember...he's still not in his right mind."

"I'm trying." Angie weakly smiled back.

"Are we done with our little get together, yet?" Kaiba asked sarcastically, crossing his arms in defiance. "I 'would' like to get there sometime today..."

Angie just rolled her eyes, looking at Tea, as if she was mentally telling her, 'See what I mean?' Tea simply stifled a laugh.

Joey then approached, hands wide open in greetings, as he said, "Hey, Seto...wussup? You don't look like you slept much." He was about to give Kaiba a friendly slap on the back, but from the death glare he was giving him, Joey considered otherwise.

"I don't recall my sleeping habits being any of your business, mutt." Kaiba snapped coldly. "I would have assumed that after the direct approach yesterday, informing everyone that I had no interest in this pathetic group, that you would have all gotten the hint by now. But I suppose that's my fault...I shouldn't expect so much from everyone. I'd be surprised if the combined intellect of the geek squad could equal the capacity of a gnat."

"Seto that wasn't very nice." Angie said, turning angrily towards her brother. "Joey's just worried about you, like we all are. He's your best friend...you should be a little nicer to him." Angie said.

"A little?" Tristan asked, slightly offended since Kaiba was basically insulting everyone in that one little speech.

Kaiba glared down at her, then turned away, saying, "You're starting to sound like a bad recording. We've already been through this. Fine, you want to insist he's my best friend...then so be it. Can we go, now?"

"Seto's right. We need to get going, before the line to get in gets too long." Yugi said in Kaiba's defense. With that said, the group finally headed towards Pegasus Land, Kaiba trailing behind far enough to not be acknowledged as one of them...yet near enough to over hear anything they might say to each other.

They all headed over to Pegasus Land. As they arrived, Kaiba realized that this place was in the exact same location as his Kaiba Land from his world. He scowled thinking, 'I should have seen this coming.' If he had known, he wouldn't have needed Yugi's group to get here in the first place, and could have headed over separately.

And just to put insult to injury, where he had constructed the glorious Blue Eyes White Dragons statues were now the hideous statues of that annoying rabbit. What did he call it again? Funny Bunny, or something? He didn't know...he didn't want to know. All he knew was that he hated it. He hated this place. He had to remind himself that he had to be here to make sure Yugi's group didn't do anything stupid, and to see his little brother again. But if he had to see Mokuba with a leash and collar again, he didn't know if he could handle witnessing that a second time. Blaming himself again for Mokuba's condition he waited in line with the others to get in.

Inside Pegasus Land, the similarities were equally frightening. The rides and games were practically the same, but with different duel monsters as the symbols of that ride. Everything had something to do with a toon. Even to get into the arcade, you had to walk through some sort of stupid cartoon castle, calling it Toon Arcade.

Their first stop was the dueling arenas. Kaiba immediately noticed the difference...there were no holograms. All of it was table play. Without Kaiba's technology, it seemed no one was there to fill the gap and duplicate it. Pegasus could only do so much, but even the game creator couldn't fill Kaiba's shoes when it came to bringing the monsters to life. Kaiba was pleased to see this...it portrayed the importance of his existence in life.

Where people dueled at the tables, they also had multiple big screen TVs, showing the duel that took place. As they checked the various tables, it wasn't long before they found Noah playing against a challenger of his own. It wasn't difficult to find him, since he drew the biggest audience.

But Kaiba paid little attention to the duel, more focused on the TV screens. The screens showed more than just the two people dueling at the table. When a person placed a monster card, some graphics also appeared on the TV to portray the monster coming to life. But it images of the monsters were laughable. It looked more like a cartoon than witnessing the monsters actually coming to life. The voices were all wrong...and unlike a virtual image, it felt nothing like the monster was right there battling by your side. It was almost insulting just to watch it. He actually felt sorry for the duel monsters, the way they were portrayed.

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A/N: Was the last Chapter that bad? One review. If you spot any errors I missed, please tell me. We lost our editor several chapters back due to the fact she lost custody of her computer (long story). I still do it once a week so that it gives Clarity more time to complete work on the chapter she's working on. I know good reviews only help her get it done faster! And the more reviews the earlier in the week you get the next chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

Noah was able to destroy his opponent in no time flat. As he looked over his crowd of fans, he then noticed Yugi's group glaring at him in the back, and Seto scowling at the big screen...not even paying attention to him. 'Maybe it's about time I get his attention, then.' Noah mused. Noah stood, tugging on a nearby leash and began to leave.

He parted through his crowd of fans and made it to the group, finally getting Kaiba's attention. As he feared, he once again had Mokuba strapped to that damn collar and leash again, practically hiding behind Noah. Yet, Mokuba's eyes never left Kaiba, as he watched him intently.

"So Seto, come to back out of our little arrangement?" Noah asked.

"Yes, yes he has. Isn't that right Seto?" Yugi answered quickly.

Kaiba gave Yugi a death-glare, snapping, "Don't be ridiculous." Then turning to Noah, he smirked, saying, "In fact, I'm looking forward to our little duel. I have the rules all laid out for you, right here."

He pulled out a folder he had with him, and handed it to Noah...which stated the rules and regulations, including what Kaiba got, if he won the duel.

Noah looked over the sheet, blinking at it with surprise. This was definitely not something he had expected from the nobody amateur, he was used to Seto being...this looked way too professional.

"Hmph...so did you find some lawyer to help you out with this?" Noah asked.

The cocky smirk didn't leave Kaiba's face, as he said, "I don't need a lawyer to write up something so simple."

"So what does it say?" Tea asked.

Kaiba actually had a second copy, incase Noah tried to modify it later after he lost. So, he took that copy and handed it to Tea, to shut the group up.

As they looked over the contract, Yugi pointed out, "Say, this part is incomplete. It states if Noah wins to Seto...and stops."

"That's because Noah has to write down his demands, before we sign and agree. I'm not a mind-reader." Kaiba retorted.

Noah grinned evilly at that. "Oh, well I already know exactly what my demand will be." He pulled out a pen and wrote his stipulation on both copies. Then handing them back, Noah asked, "Are you sure you don't want to back down, now?"

As Yugi's group looked at the paper again, they gasped in horror. "Seto...you can't agree to this!" Yugi exclaimed.

Kaiba looked over the paper, and pulled out a pen without a second thought. "And why is that?"

"Didn't you just read the same thing we did?" Joey snapped. "It says here that if Noah wins, you gotta give up on trying to free Mokuba forever. But not only that, you gotta be his slave for a month!"

Kaiba signed it, saying, "Maybe you didn't read the rest of it, then. It also says that if I win, Noah has to free Mokuba."

Yugi smiled, saying, "It also says if you win, Noah has to release me and Joey from any further blackmail." He knew Seto couldn't be as bad as he seemed. Their friend really was in there, somewhere.

"Whatever." Kaiba said, trying to hide the odd feeling of awkwardness, suddenly. "The more I get to take from Noah, the better." he said, trying to cover his excuse as simply a way to hurt Noah. Personally, he felt no one deserved to have someone hold so much power over another in that way. Yugi and Joey having their dueling spirit clipped, like some neutered animal was just...wrong.

"But, dude...that's only if you win!" Tristan exclaimed, trying to point out the error in their friend's thinking.

Kaiba snatched the paper away from Tea, signing the copy as well, and handing them both to Noah. "And what makes you think I'm going to lose?"

Angie then exclaimed, exasperated, "Don't you get it yet, Seto? You've never won against Noah, not even one game! There is no way you can win!"

"And you've been acting so strange, lately." Tea said. She dared to put a hand gently on Kaiba's arm, saying, "What if you lose? Did you even think about that?"

"You're girlfriend's got a point, Seto. Are you suuure you want me to sign these?" Noah teased.

Glancing back over at Noah, he shrugged Tea's hand off of him, turning his focus on 'the enemy'. "I've already signed the papers, Noah. Now it's your turn...that is, unless you don't think you have what it takes to beat me."

Noah snickered at that, and waved Kaiba's pen away. "Thanks, but I have my own..." pulling out his own pen.

At the moment, Joey nudged Yugi, whispering, "Yugi...hey Yug! I don't think we should let 'im do this. He's gonna just get himself in real big trouble. Noah got nutt'n on Tristan. So the plan is, Tristan can wrestle the papers away from Noah and run. While he does that, you and me will tackle Seto and drag him outta here, before he hurts himself. What do ya say?"

Yugi whispered back, "I don't know..." looking uncertain.

/Yami, what do you think? We can't just let Seto do this...he'll regret this move forever, if he fails./

At that moment, Yami took over. Then with a smile, he answered Joey. "We will do none of the sort. Let Seto battle Noah. He is fighting for what he believes in. He is fighting for Mokuba, and for the people he cares for...for us, Joey. Now all we can do is offer our support, and show him that we have faith in him."

"But that's crazy!" Joey whispered. "He aint never won. What makes him think he can win, now? And I don't get it...why is he defending us? I thought he told us he didn't want to be our friends?"

"I'm not sure, Joey." Yami said, looking over at Kaiba and Noah. "Maybe he's beginning to remember..."

"Well...he sure don't act like it." Joey grumbled, looking down at the floor.

Noah signed the papers, handing them back to Kaiba. "This battle will prove to be very interesting indeed. Not that my little slave isn't entertaining to me, but it'll be fun to have someone new wearing this leash for a while. And torturing you will be so entertaining."

Noah then turned away, adding, "Well, I'd love to stick around, but I have my fans to entertain, and another duel to win." Noah then walked away, dragging Mokuba behind him.

'I'll free you, Mokuba...it wont be long, now.' Kaiba thought, watching his little brother be dragged away again, and hating every minute of it.

Joey awkwardly looked around, then said, "Well, uh...I'll catch up to you guys, later. I'm going to the arcade." Joey then headed out.

Tristan quickly followed, saying, "Hey, wait for me!"

Angie then turned to Tea, asking, "Tea want to go check out the new roller coaster ride with me?"

"Sure." Tea agreed, and joined Angie.

By this time, Yami had returned to Yugi who looked up at Seto. "Hey Seto I'm going to go see if there's anyone around here to duel with. You want to come? Or maybe we could duel if you want."

Kaiba turned and glared down at Yugi, hesitating for the moment as he considered it. It would be interesting to see how well Yugi fought in this universe...if he was anything like the Yugi he knew. But he decided against it...he had his brother to think about. "No thanks." Kaiba answered. "I have too many other things on my mind right now." Kaiba said.

"Okay." Yugi said. Then with a pause, he added, "Are you sure you're going to be all right by yourself?"

"What do you think?" Kaiba asked, coldly. Leave it to Yugi to ask something so stupid.

Yugi nodded, then said, "I want to thank you for trying to help us in this deal you're making."

"Save the friendship speech, Yugi." Kaiba said, quickly turning away. "Since I don't exactly remember any of Noah's weaknesses, I assumed taking away whatever power he had, would be a nice way to hurt him. So, don't think for a minute it has anything to do with caring for you idiots. Personally, I could care less what your problems are. Now get lost, already!"

"All right, Seto." Yugi smiled back, and walked away. /I don't care what he says./ Yugi said to Yami as he left. /He's not fooling anyone. He might act tough on the outside, but I now on the inside, he really cares./

/I just hope he succeeds...for everyone's sake./ Yami thought, also hoping that Yugi could finally be freed from Noah's constant torment.

Now alone with his thoughts, Kaiba inwardly sighed and walked away. He left the dueling building, and leaned on the outside wall, crossing his arms and staring at the sky. He had to defeat Noah for his brother's freedom. He didn't care what consequences Noah scribbled down on that paper, since losing was not an option.

It was a rule he learned long ago from his stepfather. Winning was everything, and losing meant death. If he couldn't succeed in freeing Mokuba, he no longer deserved Mokuba's love and respect, anyway. Just like that day when he stood atop Pegasus' castle, willing to throw away his own life for his brother, he would be willing to give it up once again, if he failed.

"Pssst!"

It was a quiet noise, but Kaiba heard it. He immediately assumed it was one of Yugi's idiot friends again, and glared in the direction of the noise. But his features softened quickly, as he noticed Mokuba peering around the corner of the dueling building, and quietly fingering for him to follow.

Kaiba didn't hesitate and moved quickly to meet up with his little brother.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

"What do you mean, 'he's not all there?'" Yugi asked Yami.

Yami answered, "Exactly what I said...Mokuba's soul is not entirely intact. Part of it is now missing."

"But how can that be? How can part of a person's soul just vanish?" Yugi asked. He then turned to Ajin, accusingly. "This is your fault! You did something to Mokuba, didn't you?"

Ajin stopped his battle at the moment, saying, "Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds? Believe me, if I could affect that little whelp at this moment, he'd already be dead...along with the rest of you, fools. Oh, btw Aiko...I can feel your shield waning. Did you think you could hold me for long? You only have a short time left, before your demise. I hope you are all ready..."

Aiko scowled at him. As Yugi and Yami turned to her, they could see she looked tired. Yami then turned back to Ajin, saying, "That's what 'you' think! I will not let you do harm to her or anyone, if I have anything to say about it!"

Yami then turn to Aiko and his Millennium Puzzle came to life. Aiko could feel a new power flowing into her, as the shield was re-strengthened. "This battle is not over yet, Aiko...don't give up on Mokuba, or yourself."

Aiko smiled, saying, "Thank you."

Ajin scowled, as he spat, "All you have done Pharaoh was postpone the inevitable!" He then laughed, saying, "Or even worst...you have sealed your own fate! You're power might have been the only possibility of a challenge to me. But since you were so worried about that nothing wench, you weakened your own self, squashing any possibility to stop me!"

Yugi looked to Yami in concern, hearing that. Yami indeed looked more tired after draining himself some to help Aiko...Yugi could even feel it. Yami simply smiled, saying, "Have faith, aibou."

Yugi glanced over at Ajin, then back to the others. "Well, we still don't have an answer how Mokuba lost part of his soul."

At that, Aiko's eyes suddenly widened. "Kaiba! He must have made another wish!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Back in the alternate world, Kaiba and Mokuba found an isolated spot behind the dueling arena building where they could be alone.

No longer having to worry about Noah or anyone around, Kaiba bent down and hugged him tightly. Mokuba gladly hugged him back.

When they released, Mokuba could already see the apologetic look in Kaiba's eyes. Before he could say anything, Mokuba said, "It's not your fault. Gozaburo bought me a long time ago, when I was an infant. You had nothing to do with this."

"I knew this was a trap. I should have never listened...never come here." Kaiba said. "It's my fault you're in danger, now."

"I'm not in any danger, Seto." Mokuba said. "I never see Gozaburo...he's never around. He gave me to Noah, because he never pays attention to him, either. I'm basically just another plaything for Noah, to keep him occupied, so he's not bothering his father when he's trying to work. I'm not hurt by anyone...the collar's just about the extent of it."

/Well, we are hurt when we're punished for doing wrong./ Mokie said to Mokuba.

Mokuba mentally hushed him, saying /Seto doesn't need to know that. He already has enough on his mind./

Kaiba turned away, unable to face his brother with the amount of guilt weighing on his shoulders. "I'm going to get you out of this. You'll be free from that house soon...I promise."

"Seto...I don't understand. You listened to who?" Mokuba asked, curious now. He had no idea why he was here. But now from what Kaiba said, he could only suspect his brother must have had something to do with it.

"Ajin." Kaiba stated. "He was rambling about some nonsense about changing the world around me so our parents would be alive, and that you wouldn't be sick. I knew that wasn't possible...I was just trying to catch him in his own lie. Somehow...things didn't go right."

Now clenching his fist, he said, "This is my fault. I should have suspected he would twist something. Of all the things, trying to make it seem like we're not even related. When I get my hands on him..."

"But Seto...we're not related. At least...not here." Mokuba said.

Kaiba now looked over at him. He put his hand on Mokuba's shoulder, saying, "It is you...isn't it? Not just some fake replica look-alike, like Yugi's little group is. You really are my brother."

Mokuba smiled, and nodded. "Uh-huh. Well...sorta. I'm kinda both. The one from this world is here inside me. And...I don't think I'm all here."

"What do you mean?" Kaiba asked.

Mokuba answered, "Well, I feel like I'm strung out. Part of me feels like I'm here, and part of me feels like I'm still lying in bed back home...but that feels more like a dream I'm constantly having. But both my memories and his memories are together in one." Mokuba then smiled and chuckled, saying, "I kinda feel like Yugi lately, talking to myself all the time. It's kinda weird having another 'self' inside of me."

Kaiba didn't look happy about that. "That wasn't part of the deal, either. He said it would be you, not just 1/2 you."

"Huh? You mean this Ajin person?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba nodded. "He told me in this world you would be here, and you wouldn't be sick."

Mokuba felt good about that...his brother wanted him to be here. 'So then, that must be why I here, then.' he thought. "Seto, who was this guy who approached you? Where did you meet him?"

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you." Kaiba said, shaking his head.

Mokuba pleaded, "Tell me...please?"

"Fine...supposedly him and some lady appeared from that box we bought at the antique store. They started rambling nonsense that I supposedly made some wish, and they had to fulfill it. I didn't believe any of it. But Aiko...she's the one that made that Blue Eyes plushy for you. It was a test, since I doubted their supposed magic ability. I still don't know how she did it...it just appeared out of thin air." Kaiba explained, as his mind drifted off to that moment, still confused about what he had seen.

"So, she gave me that?" Mokuba said. "I did hear some lady talking to Yugi...that must be Aiko, then."

"Yugi's there? What is 'he' doing there?" Kaiba snapped, irritably.

Mokuba shrugged, "I dunno...but it's a good thing. I think Ajin's been threatening Aiko, cuz she did something to keep him out, and they've been worried about him breaking into my room."

Kaiba stared at him at the moment, as he began to feel concerned that maybe Mokuba was in danger back home. And of all people, by the person he trusted the least. 'It shouldn't be much longer. I'm supposed to be here a week, but only a few hours back in my own world. Wait a minute...what if he's lying about that, too?'

Kaiba then grabbed Mokuba by both shoulders, saying, "Tell me...how much time do you think has passed since I left? Can you tell? It hasn't been that long, has it?"

"No, not really. That's probably why it's so confusing when I try and look back in the other world. It seems to be moving so slowly over there, like everyone's in super slow motion...it's weird. I'd only say maybe a 1/2 hour passed." Mokuba said.

Kaiba sighed in relief hearing that. "Good...at least he got something right. I was only supposed to be gone a few hours over there. Then I have time."

"Time for what?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba smirked. "What do you think? I'll be back to take care of him, as soon as I'm done taking Noah out over here."

At that, Mokie mentally exclaimed/But he can't win! He's always lost to him/

Mokuba answered proudly/Maybe the Seto from this world can't, but this is 'my' big brother, and he can beat anyone/

"I know you will, Seto. No one's ever been able to beat you! You'll kick his butt!"

From those words, Yugi came to mind...the only one who had ever been able to defeat Kaiba. But he quickly squashed that moment of doubt from his mind. Even Yugi he had already been beaten in a duel, and Noah was next. Given...Kaiba had to perform a dirty move to get Yugi to crumble, but that didn't matter. Yugi was weak, and his weakness cost him. Kaiba won fair and square.

Mokuba then said, "So those two came out to grant you wishes? How many do you have? Is it three, like a genie?"

"I...think so." Kaiba said, thinking back. He was pretty sure they told him three.

"And this world was suppose to be your first wish? Then you still have two more wishes, right?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba shrugged, "I suppose. But seeing how crappy this one's been, I don't think I'd want to chance what else they'd do to us."

Mokuba chuckled at that. He then looked around, saying, "I'm going to have to be going, soon. Noah's going to be looking for me. But I was wondering one other thing..." He then turned back to Kaiba and asked, "Why in your deal did you decide to help Yugi and Joey? I thought you didn't like them..."

"I don't!" Kaiba said sternly. But Mokuba just crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

At his brother gaze, Kaiba looked away uncomfortably. Crossing his own arms, he shrugged. "It seemed like the thing to do at the time. Anything that can hurt Noah was beneficial to me." Then with a more confident smirk, Kaiba added, "Besides...after what happened at Duelist Kingdom, I think it's nice to finally be able to dangle a debt over Yugi's head for a change. Let's see how he likes it!"

Mokuba just rolled his eyes. He shouldn't have been surprised that his brother would see Yugi's help simply as some way to one up him. Now Kaiba even found a way to make a game out of gratitude.

Just then, the collar around Mokuba's neck began to light up and beep. "That's the signal that Noah realizes I'm gone, and wants me back. It's time...I gotta go." Mokuba said.

Kaiba grabbed him tight, and held him close. "It wont be much longer. You'll be free of him soon and back with me...I promise."

Mokuba hugged him back, muttering, "I'll miss you, Seto." then took off quickly to find the guards and join back with Noah.

Kaiba sighed, feeling at least he was able to spend some time with his brother. Now that Mokuba was gone and back with Noah, he found no other reason to be here. Kaiba got up and headed out of the park.


	15. Chapter 15

Back in the real world, Aiko's conversation suddenly stopped, when they heard an unfamiliar sound outside the room. Even Ajin stopped for the moment and looked down the hall.

A man approached, carrying some sort of bag. He looked around calling out, "Er...Mr. Kaiba?"

Ajin materialized, startling the man. With an evil sneer, he asked, "May I help you?"

"Uh...I'm looking for Mr. Kaiba?" the man said in question, looking over the guy strangely, who just appeared before his eyes.

Aiko, turned to Yugi, whispering, "What are we going to do? Ajin will probably kill him!"

"I...I'm not sure." Yami stated. "Can you somehow bring him in here?"

"But then he'd be trapped with us." Yugi said.

"I'm sorry...Mr. Kaiba is out. Can I help you with something?" Ajin asked.

The man showed him the bag, saying, "This is a special delivery from Dr. Thompson. I was told it was for Master Mokuba. I was also told that an Aiko was in charge of his care, if he is not in?"

"Yes, Aiko and myself work together. You can give the package to me." Ajin stated.

Aiko said to Yugi, "We have to stop him! That package might be important."

"No..." Yami said, putting his hand in front. "If we warn the man, it could only cause more security to come. We don't need any more people injured from him. We at least now know that the delivery has to do with Dr. Thompson. We can always have them resend it later."

The man's eyes suddenly looked blank, as he easily succumbed to Ajin's hypnotic magic. "You and Aiko work together..."

"You can trust me." Ajin said.

"I can trust you..."

Ajin smiled. "Good. Now hand the package to me."

The man did as he said, and handed him the package. "Thank you. You can go, now."

"I can go, now." The man said, turning and walking away.

As Ajin began to rummage through the package, Aiko approached the door, stating, "I'm surprised you didn't kill the man."

"Don't be silly. As if I would waste my energy on him, and any other annoyances he might bring from his death. Once I kill the lot of you, I can kill whoever I want later." Ajin stated. "Ahh...what is this? Oh my, it looks like very important medicine."

"Is there a note? What does it say?" Aiko asked.

Ajin sneered, "Looks like there's a cure after all. And poor Mokuba got it just in time. It says if he doesn't get it within the next day, he will die." Then with a wicked sneer, Ajin used his magic to blast the package. "Oh, well...looks like Mokuba will die! Hahahahaha!"

"You bastard!" Aiko snarled at him from the other side of the shield.

But then the same package materialized in Ajin's hand. "Relax, Aiko...I was just kidding. You can have the medicine the child so dearly needs. All you have to do is pass through the shield, or lower it. That's all...do that and the medicine is yours."

"As if I can trust you." Aiko snapped.

Ajin pulled out one container and smashed it against the wall. "Looks like you don't care very much for your patient's life, after all. What would Kaiba say if you didn't do what you could to ensure he lived?"

Yami glared at him, and began to call forth another shadow spell. The eye of Horus appeared on his head, as he muttered, "Reflection curse..."

/Aibou, ask him to read the paper again./

/Huh? Oh, uh...okay./ Yugi approached, saying, "How do we know that's what the paper said, at all? Why don't you read it to us?"

Ajin glared at Yugi. Then with a sigh, he stated, "Very well." He held the paper up, saying, "To whom it may concern. This medicine is vital to Mokuba Kaiba's survival. You have a limited time to..."

As Ajin rambled on Yami stared at Ajin's face, seeing the reflection of the paper on him as he read. It stated that it was an experimental drug tried on a few other patients, which suffered from the same virus. But Yami also noticed it had nothing to do with time limit. As he expected...Ajin was lying.

"Damn it, Ajin...give us the medicine!" Aiko snapped.

Ajin had put the paper back in, and said, "This is your last chance...open the field, or come on out. Do so, and the medicine is yours."

"What are you afraid of, Ajin?" Yami asked. "Afraid you wont succeed at getting through? I've used my own magic to see what the note said. As I expected, you were lying. It has nothing to do with a time limited!"

"Foolish Pharaoh...look at the brat for yourself. You're right, the note doesn't have a time. But honestly, how long do you think he can really hold out?" Ajin asked. "These little elixirs could be his last hope. Do you really want to chance it?"

"Aiko is not leaving, nor is she opening the shield for you...so you can just forget it." Yami told him.

"Fine, then!" Ajin snapped, dropping the box on the ground, as they heard a few pieces cracking. He then materialized a rock in the air, which fell down...destroying everything in the box. "But don't say I didn't warn you. Now the little whelp's hopes and dreams are crushed along with the box. Happy? Not that it mattered...he wouldn't have had a chance anyway. Let me show you what I mean..."

Ajin send another powerful wave of energy and the very walls and ceiling began to crack apart. Aiko was forced to strengthen her shield to keep the ceiling from collapsing on top of them.

"How long to you think you can hold out against me, Aiko? You should have given up when you had the chance. You should have never turned against me. Now you will pay!" Ajin hissed.

Yami asked Aiko, "Are you all right?"

"Yes...I'll be fine. Thanks to your power boost, I'm able to still keep the shield up. But maybe Ajin's right. This whole stand-off seems so futile." she said, feeling depressed.

Yugi said, "That voice said before that as long as your will to protect Mokuba is strong, the shield will not fall. Don't give up hope!"

Aiko smiled at Yugi, and nodded. "I wont."

Trying to change the subject from the impending doom, Yugi asked, "So, you said earlier that Kaiba must have made another wish?"

"Yes." she said. "To be more precise...it had to be a heartfelt wish. Any flamboyant wish will not work, but if it's from the heart, the box will grant it. He must have somehow wished his brother to be where he is."

"Then wouldn't Mokuba be there entirely, not just partially?" Yugi asked.

Aiko looked around. "My force field might be part of the problem, since I've bound his protection to it. Ajin could be partially to blame for his constant attacks. Mokuba's illness may be another reason, if he's too weak to make the journey. It may also depend on how much energy is used to force Mokuba into one of Kaiba's first wishes...perhaps it took up more power than the box could handle. There could be many possibilities...I can't say for certain."

Yugi looked down, saying, "I see."

Yami put his hand on Yugi's shoulder, saying, "Wherever the other part of Mokuba is...we can hope he's having a better time right now, then we are."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Kaiba had walked from Pegasus Land some time ago, thinking of what he had to do. He had hoped to feel better seeing his brother, but with Mokuba still attached to that leash and collar, it only made him feel worst. He wanted to much to take Mokuba away from there now, and run away with him. But he no longer had the power of Kaiba Corp to back him here...Noah did. And he couldn't afford to do anything stupid that could only possibly endanger him, more.

As he continued to walk, he paused for second near some an old run-down building, that looked like it might have once been a roller skating ring for kids, perhaps. Kaiba looked around the area, wondering, 'Where the hell am I, anyway?' He was so concentrated on his own problems, he didn't notice where he was even going.

"Hello there, young man." a man called to him, as he looked around then over at the large empty building. "You seem to be lost."

Kaiba looked over startled at the man. Immediately he responded, "No, I'm fine..." Wasn't he trying to find his way back home? Again, Kaiba turned his attention to the area around him, as he unconscious muttered, "...I don't think I'm in the right area."

"You wouldn't happen to be looking for the Dance-athon Arcade, would you?" the man asked.

Kaiba looked over at him strangely, and was about to answer no. But before he could answer, the man continued, saying, "Yes...I'm afraid that's what this building was. But it's closed down, now. As I'm sure you probably know, the Dance-athon Arcade was once one of the most popular areas in this region for kids. But unfortunately, as soon as Pegasus Land opened up, everyone dropped this place like a bad habit."

Why did this man think he cared? Didn't he have a life of his own? "You talk like you used to work here." Kaiba muttered.

"Work here? Young man, I owned this place. Come on...take a look for yourself." he said, unlocking the door, and opening it up.

Immediately, Kaiba's paranoia kicked in. Some crazy old man was probably trying to get him alone in some warehouse to kidnap him and hold him for ransom! He had mentally slap himself to snap him out of it, and remind himself that no one saw him as Seto Kaiba, the richest CEO of all of Japan. For the first time in his life, he was just another normal kid. Which was strange, really...but at least on the bright side, he no longer had reporters hounding him all the time, and people trying to kill him on an hourly basis.

Speaking of which, he focused quickly back at the old man. Enjoying a moment of being able to just walk somewhere without having to worry about being threatened for a change, Kaiba shrugged and willingly joined the man into his abandoned warehouse.

The man came over to a nearby control console and clicked on the lights. There were no longer any arcade games, and the place inside also looked like a giant skating ring, with disco lights to match. "This looks more like a skating place, then a dance hall."

"The kids called it roller dancing." the man smiled. "They'd roll around on their skates and...dance, I guess. Then there were times they have real kid dances here, too. Then of course, they had the arcade over there, and the food court at the far-end. The kids went wild here at night. But now they can go on their fancy amusement park rides. No one compete with that. And everyone seems to love those stupid screens that show off that Duel Monster's game. Personally, I don't see what the big whoop is about. It can't be much better than watching any old cartoon show. But they seem to like it."

"Hmph...I agree." Kaiba muttered, crossing his arms as he stared at the area before him. "Pegasus and his stupid little toon screens are nothing compared to what I could offer."

"Oh? Do you run a business?" the man asked.

Kaiba glanced over at the man, once again forgetting himself at the moment. But he answered calmly, "I've been working on something a little more high-tech. It would bring the very monsters to life. His little carnival offers nothing compared to what I could offer them."

"Hmmm...is that so?" the man asked, rubbing his face. "So, you're an inventor, are you? You know, I've been considering renting out the place. Maybe you'd be interested in trying your hand in some competition. Gotta admit, if it was capable of someone to bring Pegasus Land down...I'd love to see it."

At that, Kaiba smiled...he never even considered the possibility. "You know...you might just have something, there." Kaiba took a professional stance, holding out his hand to shake as he muttered, "Seto Ka-...Seto Yagakamiya."

The man took Kaiba's hand and shook it, but raised an eyebrow curios of the slip-up. Kaiba caught the look and added. "My apologies...my mother recently remarried and my name just recently changed. I'm still trying to get used to it." It was a lie of course, but it at least explained why he would have trouble with his own last name.

"Ahh...yes, I can understand that." the man nodded. "Went through my own divorce not long ago. Fortunately, my wife didn't make a hassle about such things. Name's John Foley. But tell me, you sure that idea of yours the kids would be more interested in?"

"You tell me. If you had the option of watching a cartoon version of your card game, or witnessing the very monsters come to life before you, battling and killing each other before your eyes...which would you prefer to see?" Kaiba smirked.

Foley nodded, "You have a point, there. And if there's one thing kids always buy into, it's violence. They just eat it up. But tell me...how do you plan to do that, make cards come to life?"

Kaiba took the time to explain in detail on his holographic designs, greatly impressing the man. There was no way Kaiba could be faking this idea with all the detail in electronics he spoke of to the man. "That's really amazing. You must have been some wiz to know all this stuff. Well then...I can offer a discount on the rent. I assume you could handle cleaning up the place."

"Why would you want me to do that?" Kaiba asked him. "You don't look like the type who's too happy that you had to close down. You have a lot of respect in this place...just in the way you talk. Instead of offering all this to me, I was thinking we could work on this together. You said yourself, you'd love to see someone bring Pegasus Land down. Wouldn't you like to be the person responsible for that?"

Foley gave a sad smile, but answered, "I'm an old man, Seto. A lot of the fight has left me, after this place closed. I already lost a lot of money trying to keep open in the past. I couldn't afford the help to even fix this place up."

"I might have some people that can help on the clean-up. As for your money, if this place becomes booming again, you can make the money back up in no time." Kaiba told him.

The old man thought for a minute. "It's been awhile since the kids have even been around here. They may not remember this place. We'd need something big to get their attention...some kind of advertising. But I don't think either of us can afford that."

"We don't have to." Kaiba stated. "In less than a week, I plan on challenging someone quite famous to Duel Monsters for a duel. Wherever he goes, I guarantee he draws a crowd."

"Oh? Who is this celebrity?" Foley asked.

Kaiba asked him, "Ever hear of Noah Kaiba?"

"KAIBA!" he spat out. "You mean the owner of that weapons factory?"

"That's him." Kaiba stated.

Foley started rubbing his face more nervously now, actually looking excited about this. "That...that could actually work. And if this idea of yours goes over well, anyone that was here would gladly come back. Yes...this could work." He then glanced over at Kaiba, adding, "It sounds good...but a week. That's cutting it thin. And I still need to actually see this item of yours in action. How about this..."

John Foley then offered Kaiba a business card, saying, "Why don't we call each other later. I have two teenaged kids of my own that I'd like you to show them this design to. If they like it, then I'll agree and we're in business. Then together we can get this place up and running again."

Kaiba took the business card, and nodded. "They wont be disappointed. I assume you still have the arcade machines and the items for the food court."

"Yep, they're all in the backroom. I need to clear it all up for renting. But maybe I won't need to do that, after all." Foley smiled, as they both stood and once again shook hands.

Kaiba nodded stating, "It's a pleasure doing business with you." Kaiba was amazed how he also seemed to run into business, no matter where he ended up. But this worked out, nicely. Of course on the down side, it also meant he might actually need Yugi's little geek group, after all.

Then just before Kaiba left he paused, and sheepishly looked back at Foley, as he was locking up. "Er...one more thing. Which direction is Domino High?"


	16. Chapter 16

Kaiba b-lined straight home. He had a project that needed to be done, yesterday, and had no idea if he even had the parts for it. But he was pleased to find his other self seemed to have an interest in attempting to invent things, himself. There was a clutter of random circuit boards and broken machines down in the basement. Yet, this other Seto never seemed to really achieve anything. Immediately Kaiba sat down and got to work on the items he had available.

He was first bothered by Angie, who came home and noticed he was downstairs. She approached him, and rolled her eyes. "You're not playing around with doodads again, are ya?" she asked.

For the moment, Kaiba ignored her, and she was assumed he wasn't going to say anything. But then he scribbled something down and gave her a note, along with the last of his money he had on him. "These are a list of things I still need. Would you do me a favor and get them for me?"

"Do I look like your delivery girl?" she snapped back.

But then she froze as he looked over to her and for once didn't have a cold glare on his face. "Please?" he asked.

As she paused, looking down at him and wondering if she should, he then remembered something he brought downstairs with him and picked up a very familiar dueling belt, and offered her a slight smile. Angie practically fainted, seeing him with it. 'Oh, my god! He has the dueling belt I got him. Maybe he's really getting back to normal again!'

A big wide smile came on her face, and she hugged him, saying, "Seto, you're you! God, I missed you!" She then pulled away wiping a tear from her eye, as she chuckled, "Who would have thought I'd be saying that ever, huh? Fine, I'll get you're stupid stuff. But you owe me...got it?"

"Thanks." he said simply, keeping his words to a minimum, so he wouldn't give himself away.

After she left, he tossed the belt back down on the floor, after pulling another tiny screwdriver from it, as he continued to work on his Duel Disk. Though Kaiba felt it was the stupidest dorkiest looking thing to hold Duel Monsters in...it was great for holding tools. 'I wonder if she'd be mad if she new I turned it into a tool belt?' he wondered, as he continued his work.

Angie soon delivered the parts he needed, and then left. By that time, he had arranged the meeting to show off his device by late afternoon. So, he continued to work on his project, until it was finally 4:30. That meant he only had an hour left to work out any bugs. After another 1/2 hour, he was distracted to hear what sounded like a small army of people walking around above his head. "Hmph...looks like the whole gang finally came back." Then with a smirk, he added, "...perfect."

It was barely 5 minutes later before they all headed downstairs to see what Kaiba was doing. Joey was as usual the first to speak. "Hey Seto...Angie said yer working on something again. So, wussup?"

Kaiba showed it off, stating, "It's called a Duel Disk, and this item's going to make Pegasus Land look like a joke, by the time I'm done."

"Yeah, right...and how are you gonna do that?" Tristan asked.

Kaiba turned away, as he asked them, "Have you ever heard of a place called the Dance-athon Arcade?"

Tea beamed at that, saying, "Of course, how couldn't we? We used to dance there all the time, remember Seto?"

Kaiba tried not to flinch at the thought, thinking, 'Maybe that wasn't the best opening line.' Ignoring the entire question from Tea, Kaiba turned stating, "Well, that place is about to re-open. And that's exactly where Noah and myself are going to Duel."

"Oh, wow! That guy's re-opening the place?" Yugi asked, excited.

Joey just scratched his head, asking, "But how's he gonna do that? I mean...after Pegasus Land opened up, they were more interested in going over there."

But Kaiba only smirked, stating, "Not once they see the new patented Holographic system that we're going to have running there. Kids can go to Pegasus Land all they want for the rides...but when it comes to Duels, they'll be returning to the old Dance-athon in droves."

At that, everyone blinked. Tristan cleared his throat, saying, "Did you say 'we'? Like you, and the Dance-athon guy? No offense, Seto...but you never build a working thing in your life."

Kaiba then smirked, saying, "Then why don't you stick around and see for yourself? I have an appointment with him in twenty minutes to show him my design. You don't have to take my word for it...you can all see it for yourself."

"But, I don't understand." Angie said. "When did all this happen? You're actually going to go into business?"

"Is that so unbelievable?" Kaiba asked. "And Noah's even going to help with the grand opening. Our duel in one week will open the doors for all his fans to come in and witness. His popularity is going to bring the business back to life." Then with an evil sneer, Kaiba added, "Dance-athon will be known as the place where Noah was crushed."

There was still disbelief in everyone's eyes at that statement, but they chose not to say anything. Instead, Yugi said, "But, Seto...that's in one week. Can the Dance-athon arcade really get up and running in that quick amount of time."

At that point, Kaiba hesitated. He eyes connected with Yugi's as he stated, "It could if the place had enough man power to help get it all fixed up."

Everyone was silent, as they realized what Kaiba was saying. Joey swallowed, as he said, "Uh, Seto...you know we're not supposed to help you with anything to do with Noah."

"You're not." Kaiba answered. "You'd be assisting John Foley in getting his business back up and running again. If Noah happened to go there, that's not your problem."

But they still looked a bit worried about it. Yugi dropped his head, muttering out, "Seto, I...we..."

Kaiba then stood, snapping, "Do you really want to just stand around and do nothing? Noah has already taken everything important from you, Yugi. He has taken your pride and your will to fight. He even took your grandfather's health from him. Are you just going to stand around and take it? Wheeler...how long do you plan on cow-towing to him? This is your chance to do something against him, to help in getting everything back that he took from you. You can just stand around and hope he goes away someday, or you can fight. Now, what's it going to be?"

"But Seto, if you loose this battle, nothing's going to change." Tea said.

Kaiba then turned to her, stating, "And what makes you think I'm going to lose?"

Again, Kaiba was returned by silent stares. Angie finally spoke, saying, "Seto...you never won a battle. You know this. They'll be happy to stand by and cheer you on, but..."

At that moment, they head the doorbell ring.

"That's them, now." Kaiba said. "Fine. You need convincing that I'll win? Then come upstairs with me, and I'll give you that proof."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Kaiba and John Foley headed out to the back yard of the house, with his 2 sons and their 2 friends, along with Yugi's group following behind.

With everyone in back, Foley said, "Seto, I'd like to introduce to you my two sons Karl and Michael, and their friends Karen and Shawn."

"How do you do." Kaiba said, shaking hands with them all.

Karl said, "Dad says you have something amazing to show us. I can't wait to see it."

"I hope you don't mind that we brought a few friends over." Michael added.

Kaiba glanced at them, looking them over for a moment, before answering, "Not at all." reminding himself to get the item patented as soon as Foley and the others were gone, to make sure no one could try and steal his idea. He then turned towards Joey, saying, "Now to show off this little device, I'm going to need a guinea pig. Wheeler...you'll do just fine."

"Me?" Joey asked, stupidly. He approached, asking, "What am I supposed to do?"

"Simple. You're going to duel me, and I'm going to stomp you." Kaiba smirked.

That seemed to get Joey in the gaming spirit, as he whipped out his deck, saying, "Yeah, I'd like to see you try!"

"I don't need to try to go against a duelist as lame as you. This won't take long." Kaiba said. Kaiba handed Joey the duel disk and explained to him how it works. When it looked like it finally sunk into Joey's head, Kaiba stepped a certain distance away, and turned to face him.

Kaiba then explained, "Now, just incase you're still having trouble grasping what I already explained to you twice, I'll go first so I can show you first-hand."

Kaiba drew his card, and looked over his hand. "I play one card face-down, and then Ryu-Kishin in attack mode."

Everyone was shocked to see how realistic the card looked on the field.

But right after the shock, Joey noticed something not good. Once again, he felt his friend made a mistake. It was a weak dark monster on the field that was placed in attack mode. And it wasn't the first time Seto made such a mistake, either...especially when he's stressed from an audience watching him.

Joey glanced at what Kaiba just did, then the others, and finally back again. Part of him was tempted to let Seto make a fool out of himself, from what he believed to be a mistake. But despite how cocky Seto's been acting, Joey also still saw him as a friend. And Seto was offering to try and save them, and Angie did say he was showing signs of being normal again.

"...I said I end my turn, Wheeler. Are you going to draw today, or continue to zone out like a pathetic dog?" Kaiba then snapped.

That brought Joey back to reality, as he growled at him. "You know, I really should let you do this to yourself. But I can't...cuz we're friends. Dammit, Seto...you gotta change your monster in defense mode, or you're going to get creamed!"

Tea gasped, just now noticing, herself.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at this. "Are you trying to tell 'me' how to play the game?" If it wasn't that he still had to try and look respectable in front of clients, he would have laughed in Joey's face. But instead, he merely smirked at him, as he stated, "I never change my mind on the decisions I make. Now make your move, Wheeler...you're starting to bore me."

"I gotta admit. That monster picture looks amazing!" Yugi said. "How did you do it, Seto?"

"It's the new holographic technology that I'm using to make the monsters come to life. Since I had such a short time to put it up, the sound quality is still not perfect...but all will be completed correctly, when it's time to battle Noah." Kaiba replied.

"Fine, you want to embarrass yourself, then be my guest!" Joey snapped. "But don't say I didn't warn you. I summon Flame Swordsman to the field! Flame Swordsman, attack his Ryu-Kishin!"

Everyone was fascinated by how the monsters looked so alive. They also looked worried that Joey was going to humiliate Seto in front of the people he was trying to impress. Yet, as the Flame Swordsman charged to strike, Kaiba spouted, "I activate my Crush Card!"

"...you're what?" Joey asked.

Kaiba smirked. "You fell right into my trap, Wheeler...just as I expected you to. My Crush Card virus infects all monsters with 1500 attack points and higher, whether it be on the field, in your hand, or even in your deck...crushing every powerful beast."

"What? No, my deck! All my strong monsters are gone!" Joey exclaimed.

Kaiba just laughed. "It's only fitting for a duelist of your level to have an equally pitiful deck. But don't worry...seeing who I'm fighting, there's probably not much to infect in the first place."

Joey just growled more, spouting out, "Yeah, just wait till next turn. I'll show you! I...I end my turn."

"That's it? Nothing else to put down? Hmph...I suppose I shouldn't have been expecting any better." Kaiba stated. He drew his card, stating, "Now...it's time I show you what a real duelist is capable of. If you don't have the ability to keep up with me, Wheeler...then I might as well make this a quick match. I play Lord of Dragons in attack mode, and combine it with the Flute of Summoning Dragons!"

Joey's jaw dropped, nearly dropping the cards in his hand as the others gasped. Angie asked the others, "Where did he get cards like that?"

"Forget them...where did he get cards like 'that'!" Tristan stated, and pointed at the next set of holograms.

From the Flute's calling came not one...but 2 Blue Eyes White Dragons onto the field. Kaiba may not have had the sound quality quite right, but he made sure his dragons were perfect in every way. As they appeared onto the field in all their greatness, they let out a mighty roar, and stared down menacingly at Joey, who even backed up a few steps in fear.

"Is something wrong, Wheeler? Looks like even a mutt knows when he's in the presence of a something more superior than himself. Don't worry...I'll make this as painless as possible. You have one more turn to live...then I'm afraid the battle's over. You can always quit now, and save yourself the embarrassment." Kaiba told him.

And Joey couldn't believe it...Seto never made him feel so terrified in a Duel Monster's game before, and from him of all people. They were normally equal in abilities, but Joey could usually beat him, when under pressure. But today...he never saw anything like it. 'And where he get those cards? I don't remember him having even one Blue Eyes before!'

"Joey Wheeler never gives up!" Joey said. "I summon Alligator Sword in attack mode, and I attack your Lord of Dragons!" Alligator Sword charged forward and killed Lord of Dragons. Kaiba's life points went down 400. Kaiba didn't look too impressed, but said nothing...waiting for Joey to finish.

Joey looked at his cards, and realized Kaiba was right...there was nothing left to do. "I...end my turn." he muttered, weakly.

"That's it?" Kaiba spat. He then laughed manically, stated, "Idiot...you just committed suicide with that move. Then again...you had no chance, anyway." Kaiba drew, looking over his hand. He could summon another monster, place another card...but Kaiba simply didn't see the point.

"It's over, Wheeler. I told you I'd devastate you, and I always keep my word. Blue Eyes, destroy his Alligator Sword!" The Blue Eyes sent a deadly blast of power from his mouth, disintegrating the monster that screamed as it died. Joey's life points fell quickly from 4000 to 2500. Joey was launched back from the holographic blast, and looked up in horror to see the other Blue Eyes powering up.

"Tell me, Wheeler...do you already feel the crushing hand of defeat? Hahahahahaha! Blue Eyes, White Lighting Attack!" Kaiba cried out, in sheer ego, the very size of the dragons on the field.

The Blue Eyes omitted a mighty roar, about to blast Joey. But suddenly the hologram fizzled once...twice...then both Duel Disks powered down. Everyone stood staring in confusion, wondering what happened.

"Shit." Kaiba muttered, pulling a screwdriver from his back pocket underneath the trench coat and began to unscrew it.

"What just happened?" Joey asked, silently relieved that final blast never came down to take him out. That was way too real for his liking, to have such a powerful monster breathing down at him like that.

"There's obviously still some bugs in the system. It's expected, since I only had 4 hours to do this in." Kaiba muttered.

Finally, one of John's sons found his voice and he managed to mutter out, "Wow..."

"That...that was like...totally amazing." Michael said, joining his brother in finally speaking again.

Karen said nothing, she just stared in awe. And Shawn started to literally cheer. "That had to be like the coolest Duel Battle I have ever seen! That was awesome! Man, if you guys are going to be putting Dance-athon back up with that, you're like going to blow Pegasus Land away!"

Now John approached, saying, "I agree. I know nothing of the game...but after seeing that, there's no doubt in my mind what this device of yours is going to do with the business. Um...did you set up a patent on this yet."

"No. That was in fact my next stop." Kaiba said, putting the Duel Disk away, realizing he'd just have to finish it later.

"Well, you better get there soon. The patent office is only open till 6." he said.

Kaiba nodded, "Agreed. So we'll start tomorrow then?"

"My boys here will start tonight, and we'll see you tomorrow. Are these the people you were talking about helping you?" John asked.

Kaiba then looked over at them, to see if they were with him or not.

With a smile, Yugi approached, saying, "That's us. We'll be happy to help our friend with this. I hope this goes well for you both."

"As do I, son. It broke my heart to see that place go down once already. I'm going to be putting everything into this last chance." John said.

Suddenly, the Mom called out into the backyard, "Kids, dinner!"

"I better get going, then. Until tomorrow then, I'll see you there." John said, and began to walk away with the other 4 people, which all looked very excited.

"...until then." Kaiba muttered. He then glanced towards Angie, saying, "I have to make it to that office. Tell Mom to save some for me when I get back."

"Sure, bro...no problem." Angie said, giving Kaiba a thumbs up. The others headed in, as Kaiba rushed away to get the patent in, on time. In one week would be the big day...and Noah had no idea what Kaiba had in store for him.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Over the next course of the week, the group worked hard on fixing up the place, along with John, his sons, and their friends. Yugi never felt so good working with so many to accomplish a goal, and hadn't felt so good about himself in a long time since Noah had been squashing his spirit.

Kaiba was right...it may not be much, but it at least it felt like they were doing something to help bring Noah down.

"But what if he loses?" Joey had asked on more than one occasion.

Yugi just smiled, and said, "We're going to believe in him, Joey. I'm with him 100, and after what I saw him do...he may just win."

"There's still something weird about him, Yugi. I've never seen him gloat like that. He still don't act like himself, at all." Joey said.

/It doesn't matter./ Yami stated to his light, as their direction turned to look at Kaiba arguing with one of John's sons on the placement of some of the arcade games. /He has a duelist spirit within him, Yugi. I've felt it. I believe in him./

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Later that night, despite all the hard work they did, Kaiba was still up doing more research on the computer, finding out all he could about what happened to Mokuba and the adoption by Gozaburo.

Suddenly Kaiba stopped at a very interesting piece of information, his eyes wide in shock. He then typed up something quick on the computer, printing something out to be submitted to a government building first thing tomorrow morning. But the piece of information he found...suddenly, all at once all the pressure that was on him flowed away. Kaiba grinned ear to ear and laughed like a maniac.

...that is, until his sister yelled at him to shut up and go to sleep.

He quieted down, but gloated quietly. "Well, stepfather...I'd call this checkmate. I win."


	17. Chapter 17

Back in the real world Ajin was outside pouting, since the ceiling collapse didn't kill them, yet. In the crumbling room, Yugi, Aiko and Yami were with Mokuba lying in bed.

"So how much longer is Kaiba supposed to be gone?" Yugi asked.

Aiko checked the clock. "He's still got another 55 minutes before he has to decided to stay or return."

"That long?" Yugi asked.

"I'm afraid so." Aiko said.

After Aiko said that to him, Yami looked over at Mokuba with concern, then turned back to face her. "Aiko, is there anyway of bringing the other 1/2 of Mokuba's soul back here?"

Aiko didn't understand why he would ask, but thought about it, anyway. "The only way would be if I went to that other world myself, and brought him back."

"Why is that? Can't you use the connection from Mokuba here?" Yugi asked.

Aiko smiled. "You don't understand. Seto wished him there. Without his acceptance, my powers could do nothing to retrieve him." Then turning to Yami, she asked, "But why do you ask?"

Yami looked down and answered. "With the fatal illness he has that's already sapping his life away, stringing his soul between dimensions like that is doing nothing but quickening his demise. Any hope there might be in saving Mokuba will soon be gone if we do not do something to reunite his soul once again."

Yugi looked horrified. Aiko looked concerned, and then lowered her head in sadness. "Then that means I will still fail in the end."

"Don't say that!" Yugi exclaimed. "Didn't you just say you could go over there and bring him back?"

"But it'll take so much energy. There is no way I can keep this shield up, 'and' bring Mokuba back. I...I'm not strong enough." Aiko admitted, looking very depressed.

You can do this, my child. As long as you keep your faith strong, it can be done...

Instantly, everyone froze as they once again heard the mysterious voice, and all wondering where it was coming from...

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Back in the alternate world, Mokuba had been thinking about his brother all day, hoping to see him before the Duel. Now approaching Noah, Mokuba hoped to achieve exactly that.

"Master Noah, sir." Mokuba asked in his most polite voice, bowing graciously.

"Yes what is it?" Noah snapped.

"Well sir, since your father has plans to spend the rest of the night with just the two of you over at Kaiba Corp, may I please be allowed to leave and maybe walk around the park or just go out somewhere?" Mokuba didn't give specifics, knowing it would never be approved if he mentioned Seto.

"Hmph...well, seeing that father did want it to be just the two of us, I see no reason not to allow your request for some time off. It's not as if you request this often, anyway...so I see no harm in it. You may be excused the moment I leave with my father. Just don't forget...you are not to speak to anyone. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Mokuba said, and bowed to him...doing his best not to smile or show any kind of emotion or excitement that might make Noah change his mind. "Thank you, Master Noah."

Noah seemed satisfied with this, and shooed him away. It wasn't too much longer, and within an hour Noah was gone. But there was one problem to Mokuba's plan...he wasn't sure how to find his brother.

Mokuba headed to the park, and began to mumble to himself, "Great...now what do I do? I don't even know where Seto lives...how am I going to find him? I don't even know his last name in this world."

/Don't worry...I can take you to Seto's place. But, why don't you remember your last name/ Mokie asked.

"I was 5 when we were adopted, and Gozaburo made sure that we only recognized the Kaiba name as our last name, ever since." Mokuba answered.

/Oh, I see. Well, I'll get us there./ Mokie said, taking over.

Mokie headed down a couple roads, then ducked through an alley to another road, finally reaching a yard that had a small two-story house on it.

"Well, here we are. It's all yours." Mokie said.

"Thanks, I appreciate the help." Mokuba said, taking over again.

/No problem./

Mokuba looked up at the house, trying to picture his brother living here. For the life of him, he just couldn't. With a weak chuckle, he started towards the house...yet, on his way a dizzy wave came over him and he stumbled.

/Are you okay/

Mokuba nodded, "Just another dizzy spell...I'll be fine./

/You should have told him./

Mokuba sighed. "Maybe..."

Mokuba then walked up, rang the doorbell and waited. As he waited, a noise from another yard distracted him, and he turned to see what it was.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Kaiba was buried in the basement again. He was making sure there would be no bugs in the Duel Disk system for tomorrow, when it was used...everything had to be perfect.

It was at this time that the doorbell rang.

Kaiba tried to ignore it, hoping someone upstairs would answer it. But as he continued his work, his mind thought of who was left to answer the door. His supposed sister was gone with Yugi's group, and his parents went to a movie. And unlike his real life, there were no butlers to answer the door for him.

He silently cursed, as he slammed his tool down, and headed upstairs. "Knowing my luck, it's one of the geek squad here to ask me to 'play' with them. One would think by now, they'd get the hint."

Not even bothering to look out the window, Kaiba whipped the door open, ready to scream down at whoever dared to disturb him. But his eyes widened in shock, immediately recognizing who it was, even with his back turned, staring off at someone's yard.

Mokuba heard the door open, and began to turn, as a strong arm grabbed him, yanking him inside the house. He was still trying to register what just happened, as his brother hugged him tightly. "Seto...?" Mokuba asked weakly, partially muffled with his face in Kaiba's shirt.

But it didn't last long, as Kaiba pulled him away, holding onto both his shoulders as he eyed him in suspicion. "How did you get here? How did you get away from Noah? Are you okay? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Mokuba couldn't help but smile, so glad to see his brother and hear the concern once again in his voice. He pushed him back, saying, "Will you stop with the 30 questions...I'm fine!"

When Kaiba finally calmed down, Mokuba answered, "I miss you, too. Listen, I got permission from Noah to leave for a little while, so I came here."

"How did you find this place?" Kaiba asked.

Mokuba answered, "The other me told me where you live in this world." He looked around the room they were in, saying, "It's kinda small."

"Compared to our home...yes, I suppose it is." Kaiba said. Then looking around, he added, "You may not know this, but this is in fact the same home we used to live." Kaiba paused before continuing, "Before Gozaburo...before the orphanage..."

"Are you serious?" Mokuba asked. "Wow, I can't believe it! Can you show me around, please? I don't remember any of this!"

"Sure..." Kaiba smiled.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

"It was that voice again!" Yugi exclaimed, wondering where it came from.

Yami turned to Ajin, beginning to wonder if he was the one responsible. After all, if he could convince Aiko to leave, Ajin might have the advantage and power to break through while she's gone.

But before he could say anything, Ajin turned and snapped, "I know what you fools are doing. You're trying to psych me out with your little parlor tricks. Honestly Aiko, that's petty even for you and your weak magic's."

Yami could see the annoyed look in Ajin's eyes...he really didn't know about the voice, either.

"It's the box, isn't it?" Yugi asked, looking at the box near them. "It's gotta be from that."

"Don't be ridiculous." Ajin snapped. "There is no life within the box, besides us...it's pure power, but nothing more. Besides...it's obvious that Aiko's getting desperate to try these stupid tactics. Yes, go ahead Aiko...leave. And when you do, I'll crush everyone here inside this room, including you."

'What choice do I have?' Aiko wondered to herself, as she looked over at Mokuba. She couldn't let him die...she swore to do all in her power to keep him safe.

"Aiko?" Yugi then asked. "What would happen if Mokuba were to die, with his soul divided like this? I mean...wouldn't he just stay in that other world?"

"No...I'm afraid not. Since only half his soul is there, and he's still connected to his body, I'm afraid he would return to this world." Aiko told them.

Yugi gasped, "But that means Mokuba will die!"

"I'm afraid so." Aiko said. Then with a sigh, she said. "I have no choice...I have to try and get him back."

"Don't worry...we'll be here for you. I'll give you a boost from my own power to help you on the journey." Yami said.

Aiko looked concerned. "But, you can't! You've already lost so much energy from the last time you helped me. I can't ask that from you."

"It's all right." Yami smiled. "I'll simply have to rest inside of Yugi for awhile...but I'll be okay."

"But what about Yugi?" Aiko asked. "If I fail, you giving that energy to me will be leaving him defenseless against Ajin."

At that, Yami smiled. "Though I don't know what it is, there seems to be a voice that has a great deal of faith in your abilities. And I happen to share that faith in you, Aiko. I know you can do this."

"We believe in you, Aiko. Please...help Mokuba. We'll be okay." Yugi said.

Aiko smiled, and nodded to them. "All right...I'll do it."

"Good luck." Ajin sneered, anxiously waiting.

Aiko glared over at Ajin. But she didn't let that bother him. With determination in her mind, she kept focused on her mission, and created a portal, stepping through.

At the same time, Yami summoned forth his own energies to act like a living battery for Aiko.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

After Kaiba showed Mokuba around the house, they sat in the basement as Kaiba let Mokuba go through some old kid drawings his little brother found in a folder, in one of the closets. "So, all these drawings are yours when you were a kid?"

Kaiba smiled down at them. "I suppose so. One or two of them actually look familiar to me. But it was so long ago...and since this was done in this world, I may not have actually made some of them in our world."

"Yeah...too bad this place doesn't have any of my kid drawings. That would be neat." Mokuba said. "But, still...this is fun, you know? Just sitting here together, looking over things; it's too bad we don't get to do stuff like this more often..."

Kaiba looked sadly down at him, then turned away. "I'm sorry. I know I haven't had much time to be with you, lately. Juggling school and running a business hasn't really given me much free time for myself. But when we get back...I'm going to try and change that. I need to make more time for us."

Mokuba looked up at him sadly, thinking, 'But it's too late for that, now. I'm all ready out of time.'

Kaiba continued, his face becoming more determined, as he added, "And I'm going to do just that...I pr-"

"No, don't!" Mokuba blurted out, suddenly.

Kaiba asked, "Why not?" seeing the strangely panicked look on his brother's face.

"Seto..." Mokuba muttered, looking away from him. "I was thinking...maybe we shouldn't go back. I mean, we already have everything we need here. And you got your family, and friends, and..."

"Mokuba." Kaiba said, cutting Mokuba off. "They're not my friends...and you know it. Besides, I already have my family right here with me, and when I'm done here...I'll be bringing you home with me. Whatever you might think I might want from this other world, you're wrong. Our parents died, and I don't believe in fantasy worlds. We're leaving here, and we're going home together. Besides, you said you might be in danger from this Ajin, remember?"

"But Seto, I..."

"What?" Kaiba asked.

Before Mokuba could say more, suddenly the door whipped open and Angie called out, "Seto, you still down stairs? We brought home dinner incase you're hungry, and I picked out some really cool movies, and…" Angie stopped when she saw Mokuba.

"Mokuba? What's he doing here, Seto?" Angie asked.

With a hint of a smile, Seto replied, "Why not ask him?"

"But, Mokuba can't talk." Angie said.

Mokuba glared at her, and asked, "Who says I can't talk?"


	18. Chapter 18

Angie just stared for moment, never hearing Mokuba with a voice before. After she picked her jaw off the ground, she then said, "But…But we've never heard you speak before. I mean...I know that Seto's always told us you two hang out a lot and you could speak but still…"

"There's a reason for that." Mokuba said, looking down. "Noah felt that if I didn't talk, then everyone will think I'm too stupid to know how and wouldn't question the way he treated me. Seto's always been nice and treated me like a little brother, more so than Noah or anyone else ever has. Noah used to punish me if I spoke outside the house. And if he ever knew that Seto and I not only talk together but also hang out, he would make me pay for it. I'd probably never be allowed out again."

Kaiba said nothing, but his eyes widened, hearing this. Mokuba had been keeping this kind of information from him, to ensure Kaiba didn't get too upset about his staying at Noah's house. Now he knew, and Mokuba hoped his brother didn't try anything drastic before the duel. As it was, the only reason Kaiba held his tongue was because his other self was 'supposed' to already know about this.

"Oh, I see. I understand now." Angie said.

Kaiba glared at her darkly, saying, "Well, you better get used to his talking because after tomorrow, Mokuba's coming to live here permanently."

"Seto...you really shouldn't be so over-confident about all this." Angie said. "You know we're all behind you, but you're chances are just so slim. You've never beat him before."

"Well starting tomorrow...there's going to be one heck of an upset, when I smear the floor with him on public television and in front of all his fans." Kaiba bragged. "Besides, I always take precautions. Even out of some miracle that Noah gets the upper hand, I've still ensured Mokuba's safety. No one takes my brother away from me, and gets away with it!"

Now it was Mokuba's turn to look buggy-eyed, as he glared at his brother in fear. When it came to Kaiba, he could only imagine what harsh things he may have done to ensure his safety. 'He couldn't have hired someone to kill Noah, could he? I thought he was poor in this dimension. Seto, what do you do, this time?'

"Oh? And how did you manage that, oh brain child? You promised Noah that if you lose, you'd stop trying to take Mokuba away from him." Angie said.

Kaiba just sneered evilly, stating, "Who said I have to try? And who said this has anything to do with me?"

Mokuba swallowed. 'Oh, no...he did hire someone! Seto, you can't do that! This isn't even your world!'

"I still don't understand how, though." Angie said.

At that point, Kaiba turned away, stating, "Don't worry about it. You'll see soon enough. You can say it's also insurance to make sure Noah keeps his word, after I defeat him. I doubt he intends on playing by the rules, especially after I tarnish his name. So, I simply made sure this deal was secure."

As Kaiba said that, he looked down at Mokuba to see the fearful look on his face. Kaiba said nothing extra on it, and simply ruffled his hair to try and ensure his brother that everything was going to work out okay.

She just rolled her eyes, still not taking him seriously, as she said, "Fine, whatever. Well, listen...I'm going in the kitchen to set the food up. You guys coming?"

"We'll be there in a minute." Mokuba said, wanting a moment to speak to his brother, first.

Angie tried not to look jealous at her own brother being so cozy with a complete stranger more than her, as she headed into the kitchen. After she left, Mokuba asked, "Seto...what did you do?"

"I just told you." Kaiba answered simply.

Mokuba added, "Well, you better not have hired someone to try and...and..."

"Mokuba?" Kaiba asked, and suddenly Mokuba collapsed. "Mokuba!"

Kaiba rushed to his side, cradling him in his arms, as he asked, "Mokuba...what's wrong? What's going on?"

"I...I'm sorry, Seto. I...I should have told you..." Mokuba weakly said, then passed out.

"Told me WHAT?" Kaiba snapped, immediately thinking of calling a hospital.

But before he could react, a portal opened and Aiko stepped through. She looked down at him, and sighed. "Well...it looks like right on time."

Kaiba glared daggers at her, asking, "On time for what? What the hell is going on, here?"

"I'm sorry, Kaiba...but I've come for Mokuba. I need your permission to take him back. Half his soul is here, and the other 1/2 is back in your world. He needs to be whole." she said.

Kaiba asked, "Is that the reason he's having this problem?"

"Not entirely." Aiko said, looking down. "Kaiba, I'm sorry but...I'm afraid he's dying."

"Because he was separated?" Kaiba asked, horrified.

Aiko looked at him sadly, and answered, "No. His illness isn't just a cold. The doctors called back. It's a rare disease...and they don't have a cure. Kaiba, I'm sorry. At least with him whole, he has a little longer. There's a medicine that might help, but there's no guarantee."

Kaiba just stared at her, unable to comprehend what she was saying. Mokuba wasn't dying...he couldn't be dying. "No...you're lying."

"Kaiba, please let me take him back." Aiko pleaded.

Kaiba silently nodded, but said nothing. With his silent approval, Aiko touched Mokuba's head. There was a moment where his body glowed, and then it stopped.

"Thank you." Aiko said. "And don't worry about the Mokuba of this world...he will return fully once we leave." An instant later, Mokuba appeared as a spirit next to Aiko.

"I'm sorry big brother, I know I should have told you...but I didn't want you to worry about me. If you stay in this world, you wont have to worry about being alone if something happens to me. You can still be with the Mokuba from this world. Don't worry about me, okay?" Mokuba said.

"How can you say that?" Kaiba answered. "I would never leave you; you're not going to die, do you understand me? I'm not going to let that happen...I wont let it happen! I'm coming home soon for you, Mokuba. You wont have to wait much longer."

"Okay." Mokuba smiled, knowing there was no way to convince his brother of him dying, or that he should stay. Once his brother was determined, that was it. "Sorry I couldn't be here to watch you duel. You can tell me all about it when you return, okay?"

"All right." Kaiba said, offering a smile...the pain clearly showing in his eyes. He felt like even now he was looking at a ghost, from that see-through form that was his brother. But there was no way he was going to let anything happen to his brother. Never...he wont allow it.

The portal then re-opened and Aiko left with Mokuba, before it closed once again. Kaiba just continued to stare at where the portal was, until he finally heard a soft moan. He looked down to see Mokie coming to. Though he was pleased to see this Mokuba okay, he knew it wasn't the same...it wasn't his Mokuba.

As Mokie sat up, he rubbed his eyes, then glanced over at Kaiba. "Niisama?"

"Big brother." Kaiba repeated the words, as if they were so foreign. "Why would you call me that, if you don't think we're related?"

"Because you're the closest thing to a family I've ever had. I call you that because you are like a big brother to me. You have always tried to take care of me...and I thank you for that." he smiled up at him.

"Hmph. Obviously since you're still with Noah, he hasn't done a good enough job." Kaiba muttered, looking away and crossing his arms, trying not to think of what Aiko had just said about his own little brother.

Mokie gently placed a hand on Kaiba's arm, asking, "Can we go see what's for dinner now, Niisama? I'm hungry and I can't wait to see what movies your sister brought home."

"Go ahead." Kaiba answered. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay." Mokie said, heading into the kitchen.

After Mokie left, Kaiba looked down at the old pictures, fighting the crushing sadness that was trying to consume him. He then whispered, "He might look like him and sound like him...but he's not my brother. Mokuba...I'll be home soon for you. Just wait for me. I'm not letting you go anywhere. You're staying with me, I'll never let you go."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Back in the real world Yami and Yugi were having problems of their own. Ajin had done all in his power to break through the shield the instant Aiko left. Yami had just given all he could, and collapsed on the ground.

"Pharaoh!" Yugi cried, and ran over to him.

Yami looked up, and smiled. "I'll be fine, aibou. I just need to be with you for a while. Whatever happens, just stay strong..." Yami then disappeared, rejoining with the Millennium Puzzle.

Ajin laughed wickedly, "Looks like it'll just be a minute longer before your lives are mine!"

And suddenly, a portal opened and Aiko stepped back through. Aiko turned to Ajin with defiance in her eyes, summoning forth her own magics to keep the shield strong.

Ajin realized he had lost the upper hand, and finally ceased his attack. He glared at her, but it quickly changed to a smirk. "Foolish girl...savor your shallow victory, because that's all it is. Thanks to you, the Pharaoh is now completely drained of his energies to give you just a little more time. But how long can you last? Yugi and Mokuba are going to need food and drink soon...or they'll get weaker and eventually die. Then all your protecting will be for nothing. Face it, the only way to end this is to try and challenge me. And you know how that'll end...you will all die. And since you were so desperate to help the life of someone who's going to die anyway, you let the only hope you had to work with and fight me become useless. Now you are doomed."

"It's not over yet, Ajin." Aiko said.

"So, what happened?" Yugi asked. "Where's Mokuba?"

"He probably died!" Ajin laughed. "All that effort for nothing..."

Aiko glared at him. "He's not dead!" Then turning to Yugi, she said, "Once we entered the portal, he disappeared. I assume he returned to his body."

/Aiko is correct, Yugi./ Yami answered from within the puzzle. /I saw Mokuba's spirit energy returning to him. And no he is not dead. At least not yet./

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Back in the alternate world, after spending some time with Kaiba and Angie, he decided he had to leave, before Noah found out where he was.

Kaiba stayed most of that night, making sure his Duel Disk worked perfectly, and his deck was at it's very best for this world. Now since he was so troubled about thinking about Mokuba, he could barely find any way to sleep.

But soon enough, the next day finally came, and Yugi's group were all anxious to see how well everything turned out. All week Yugi's group and their friends worked their hardest to make sure everything was ready for the grand re-opening of the Dancathon Arcade. Even Jack's sons and their friends were there to help out, as well.

Jack moved to the front of the door, and was shocked to see just how many people were piled in front waiting to get in. Everyone heard about the duel concerning Noah and wanted to see it, no matter what the place was like. But it brought a tear to the old man's eye...remembering how the place used to be before Pegasus Land. And if Kaiba's invention worked out, it could be like that again.

He swung the doors open with pride, as the kids charged in, glad to pay the $5 admission charge. They crowded around the arcade, packed in the dance section, and some were already crowding around the duel arena waiting for Noah to show up. Kaiba watched down from a balcony, also waiting for his opponent. He would take Noah down...for Mokuba's sake.

Finally, Kaiba noticed all the heads turn to the front door, and the crowd began to cheer. Cameras were flashing madly as Noah strutted in, smiling and waving to his crowd. Kaiba sneered. 'That's right, keep smiling, Noah...because it wont be long before I wipe that smile off your face!'

Kaiba then came down and approached. He glanced down at Mokuba, who offered a faint smile, then up at Noah. "So...are you ready for our duel, Noah?" Kaiba asked.

"More than ready, Seto! But I might warn you, I've gotten better since our last duel."

"Good. Cuz you'll need it." Kaiba sneered, causing Noah to look at him in surprise. Noah was not used to that kind of confidence sprouting from Seto.

Kaiba then nodded towards the wall of the store, adding, "By the way, I made sure to post the rules up on the wall for all your fans to see. If you want to make sure I didn't change anything, you're welcome to look now. But it is the official copy, and it still has your signature. I simply wanted to make sure everyone was aware of what you're about to loose."

"Me, Seto? Hahahaha...you really are funny, today. But honestly, you shouldn't post something like that. It's going to be awfully embarrassing to you, when this whole crowd of people are aware that you have to be my slave for the next week." Noah told him.

Kaiba just smirked. "That's only if you win. And that's not going to happen. For you see, I'm not exactly the same as the last time we dueled, either."

"Hmm...are you referring to your little accident? I heard about your strange personality change. I guess anything is an improvement, but don't think your little tricks are going to fool me. I know you're only doing this to try and throw me off. But that's not going to save you, I'm afraid."

"I don't need any tricks to take you down. Let's duel!" Kaiba snapped.

"Fine." Noah smiled.

Kaiba led Noah to an area that confused Noah. It had no table, and no chairs. He sighed, "I thought you said you were ready..."

"I am...are you?" Kaiba asked, handing him a Duel Disk.

"What's this?" Noah asked.

"It's called a Duel Disk. We will be using them to play the game." Kaiba explained.

"You must be joking."

"I'm quite serious. What's the matter, Noah...afraid of trying something new?" Kaiba asked, slipping it on.

Noah slipped his on, stating, "Me afraid? Never!" For a moment, Noah considered that maybe Kaiba might be trying to electrocute him, but not in front of so many. Besides...Seto wasn't that smart to try.

"Let's get this over with." Kaiba said, and they both began to draw their cards to Duel.


	19. Chapter 19

Special Note: The rules of Yugioh for this battle are played in accordance to the rules during Duelist Kingdom. That means... 'no sacrificing'. So please do not complain when a high-level monster is summoned without sacrificing for it. Questions or problems on this duel please email Clarity and discuss it with her at drew his cards, and said to Noah, "I have already explained to you how the Duel Disk works. But since you have never used it before, I'll go first so you can see how it works."

"Fine, whatever Seto...you'll need all the turns you can get." Noah said, waving him casually to go, showing his lack of interest.

Kaiba kept a poker face on, as he looked at his cards, rather pleased with his opening hand. 'This might be over before it even starts.' he thought to himself. "I place one card face-down, and summon Saggi the Dark Clown in attack mode. I then end my turn."

Noah was amazed with the graphics of the holograms, as Saggi appeared right in front. 'That's incredible!' Noah thought, though of course refused to word that out loud. But once Kaiba ended his turn, Noah began to laugh. "Oh, Seto...is that all? And here, you had me all excited for something good. You should have at least put that into defense mode, but then that isn't the first time you made that pitiful mistake."

The crowd was laughing along with Noah, as Kaiba kept a straight poker face, muttering, "Just play your turn, Noah."

"He's done this before." Yami said, watching the battle.

Joey looked over at Yugi, asking, "What do you mean, Yugi?"

"Of course!" Angie said. "He used this move on you, Joey. Then that must be his Crush Card, face-down."

"Yeah, and since Noah never saw that move before, he'll never know what hit him." Tristan smiled.

Tea then cheered, "Take him down, Seto!"

"Your friends seem to be cheering for you, Seto. I guess they still don't know a loser when they see it. Well, fine then...if you're going to just throw these lame cards at me, I might as well make you pay for it!" Noah spat. "I summon the Man-Eating Treasure Chest in attack mode, which will destroy your worthless card!"

The chest with teeth moved in swiftly and destroyed Saggi, yet as he was destroyed the dark clown laughed. Immediately after, the chest was instantly destroyed as well. "What? What happened?" Noah asked.

Kaiba gave a cocky smile, saying, "Too bad, Noah...your deck had just become infected with the Crush Card virus. Now every powerful monster of yours on the field, in your hand, and in your deck are destroyed. You now have nothing left but weak and worthless monsters! This game is mine! Hahahaha!"

Everyone gasped seeing what had transpired, waiting to see what Noah will do. He looked at him neutrally, then said, "Not bad. I must admit, I'm impressed to see such a good move from you. If you were fighting any normal average duelist, that probably would have hurt."

"Oh? So tell me, Noah...how do you plan to battle against me with nothing left but weak cards?" Kaiba asked.

Noah just smiled, saying, "Oh, Seto...I never felt I needed strong cards to begin with to battle you. See?" And as Noah said, that he pulled three cards from his deck infected with the virus, and discarded them to the graveyard. "I'm afraid that's really all you infected. Everything else is virus free."

Kaiba's eyes widened in shock. "What? You can't be serious! You actually intended to fight me from the very beginning with weak pathetic monsters? Do you see this battle as some kind of joke!"

Noah just laughed. "Hahahaha...actually, I do. This whole ridiculous Duel is a joke. And the joke's on you, Seto. Look at you...you honestly don't think I can defeat you with weak monsters. But I don't need strong monsters to battle the likes of you. You are nothing, an insignificant bug to scrape off my shoes. And when I'm finally done destroying you and making you serve my every whim, maybe you'll finally understand."

Kaiba glared at him, snapping, "Fine, then finish you're turn, already. You want to make this game that much easier for me, then it's your funeral!"

"I'll set one card face down, and end my turn." Noah said.

Kaiba drew his card, and looked over the field. Noah had nothing on the field except one magic or trap card, and was smiling like an idiot, seeming oh-so confident. He could play it safe and put a monster in defense mode first, to ensure the possible trap wouldn't hurt him at all...but Kaiba couldn't bring himself to do that. Noah was wide open, and there was no way he was going to play a scared game of Duel Monsters. "I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode! Vorse Raider, attack his life points directly!"

"Sorry, Seto." Noah smiled. "I activate the card Waboku! It brings any damage set against me or any monsters I may have to 0. I'm afraid your attack was wasted."

"You only delayed the inevitable, Noah. That card only lasts this turn. I end my turn." Kaiba answered.

Noah drew a card, and grinned wickedly. "Ahh...the first key to your demise had been drawn." He glanced over amused at his opponent, and asked, "Would you like to see what I drew? It's not going to really make any difference whether you see or not. At least then, you'll finally realize it's only a matter of time before you loose, and you can stop your ridiculous ramblings on how you'll win."

Kaiba only smirked, saying, "Noah, if you feel obligated to show your hand to me, then be my guest. But your lack of seriousness in this game is going to be your undoing."

"Oh, is it? So, tell me then...what do you think of this card?" Noah asked, flipping the card around.

Kaiba froze in his tracks, turning a pale white as everyone gasped, including Yugi's group.

Yami stated, "That's the head of Exodia! Then, that must mean..."

"Exodia? You mean Exodia the Forbidden? But no one's ever been able ta get all the pieces to play in a duel!" Joey said.

Tristan said, "If anyone could...it would be rich boy over there. If Noah got Exodia, then Seto doesn't stand a chance!"

"But Noah still has to gain all 5 pieces to win. Until that happens, there is always a chance." Yami said.

Kaiba stood frozen, looking at the card in Noah's hand. It sent flashbacks in his head when Yami flipped his card around to show the Exodia Head. "I have all 5 pieces, all 5 cards. Exodia...annihilate!"

Kaiba could still feel his victory ripped from his fingers by that final move...he could feel his soul shattering to pieces, feeling numb all over and reality slipping from him like a distant memory. 'Exodia, it can't be...it can't be!'

Noah's laughing snapped Kaiba back to reality, as he said, "Relax, Seto...I don't have all 5 pieces, yet. This is just the first of many. But don't you worry. Soon enough, I'll have them all. I place one card in defense-mode, then one card face-down and end my turn."

Kaiba continued to stare, not saying anything. "It's your turn, Seto. Of course, if you now understand how hopeless it is, you can surrender instead and end your suffering quickly."

Kaiba glared coldly at him, and snarled, "It's my turn." He brought his hand to his deck and pulled his next card. Then looking at the card, he grinned evilly and laughed like a lunatic. "Noah, I'm about to crush your strategy!"

"Oh?" Noah asked.

"Yes. I use Card of Destruction!" Kaiba said, putting the card down. Kaiba hated to do it, since he already had a Blue Eyes in his hand, but to ensure Noah couldn't use Exodia against him, he felt it was more than worth it. "Now we have to discard our entire hand and draw the same number of cards." Kaiba answered.

They both drew their cards, as Kaiba savored that piece of Exodia falling into the card graveyard. "Too bad, Noah. I told you your lack of seriousness in this game would be your undoing. Now maybe you should be the one to give up, while you can."

"Are you done?" Noah asked simply, as the audience watched, riveted over the game. No one had ever seen someone make such strong moves against Noah before. And yet...Noah still didn't look the least bit disturbed, despite what Kaiba had just done to him.

Kaiba sneered. "Not, yet...I'll now summon my Sword Stalker in attack mode! Vorse Raider, attack that face-down card!"

The card was attacked and Mystic Tomato was destroyed. "As Mystic Tomato's special affect, I can summon a dark monster under 1500 to the field in attack mode. And since I have no monsters higher than that, thanks to your Crush Card, that would make it just about 'any' dark monster from my deck."

Noah calmly went through his cards, as he said, "You know, Seto...I have to admit, you really 'are' playing a good game today. Perhaps better than I've ever seen you play. You're playing so hard, I almost feel sorry about having to destroy and humiliate you so badly, as I plan on doing. If I was an average player, what you have just done might actually cost me the game. But then, you're not dueling an average player." Noah looked up at him and smiled, "You are playing against the Duelist Champion of the whole world. There is no way you can win, and what you just did to me means absolutely nothing."

Noah pulled out his card and showed it to Kaiba, then placing it on the field. "I special summon Witch of the Black Forest in attack mode."

"I'll now attack your Witch with my Sword Stalker!" Kaiba cried out.

Noah then replied, "Not so fast...I activate Waboku. Once again, battle damage is 0, so my Witch and my life points stay unharmed."

Kaiba glared down at that witch. "Fine...stall all you want. It's only a matter of time before I connect, and then you're finished. I end my turn."

Noah calmly picked up a card. "You know, Seto...when I saw that dragon you bought at the card shop, I knew you were going to try and boost up your deck with all these powerful monsters to take me down." He laughed. "You were so predictable. So instead of making this some messy kill fight, I decided the best way to go against a beat-down deck that you have was by having a totally defensive deck. You see, as long as my defenses are up, you will never break through. And when I have Exodia complete in my hand, you will loose. It's a perfect strategy, if I do say so, myself. And you have nothing to stop me with."

Kaiba glared at him, and then smirked. "I thought you said you didn't think I was a challenge. Exodia? I'm pleased to know you at least went all out for me. It'll make finishing you that much more fulfilling."

"Honestly Seto, you must know that one card you sent away isn't enough to stop me." Noah smiled. "And, really...that fact of the matter is, I didn't want to be bothered dragging this out all day...especially in front of my audience and the media. I wanted to ensure this would be a clean and easy fight, to make me look even better on TV. So you see...it wasn't to impress you, it was to impress them. I hope I didn't disappoint you."

'I wont be disappointed.' Kaiba thought. 'I'm going to win this, Noah...then we'll see what your fans think of you.'

After looking over his cards, Noah said, "I will put my Witch in defense mode, and place one more card in defense mode, and one card face-down."

"Another Waboku?" Kaiba taunted. "You're running out of blocker cards, Noah."

"We'll see..." Noah smirked. "Your turn."

Kaiba drew. He then smiled. "I summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Everyone gasped, as the monster was drawn, everyone knowing the strength and rarity of the card. Just by drawing that card, Kaiba seemed to have earned some respect among some of the audience watching. He then smirked, saying, "You better have another Waboku for your sake, Noah...or this is going to hurt. Vorse Raider, attack his Witch!"

Vorse Raider lunged forward, slaughtering Noah's Witch. Noah immediately blurted, "Witch's effect immediately takes place! And I pull a dark monster from the deck to my hand. The card is..." And he shows Kaiba the card. "...the left arm of the forbidden one."

"Who cares! Exodia can no longer be completed, now!" Kaiba snarled back. "Take all the pieces you want, it means nothing! Especially after I take most of your life points this turn! Sword Stalker, take down that other face-down monster!"

"Not so fast!" Noah spat. "Activate trap card...Gravity Bind!"

"What?" Kaiba cried.

Noah laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you. And you were so sure you were going to defeat me, too. Too bad."

Kaiba growled, and muttered back, "I end my turn."

"Good...that makes it my turn." Noah said. He drew his card. "Just the card I was looking for, too. This is so fun! Seto...if you were in my shoes, I know you would be having a blast right now. Let me show you this next move. This is an expert move that only a genius such as I am capable of pulling off. I use the magic card The Shallow Grave. This allows one card from my and your graveyard to be summoned to the field, in facedown defense mode. And I believe all you probably have is a wimpy little Saggi. Not that it could do anything for you."

Two cards were summoned back to the field, in facedown defense mode. But Kaiba summoned in defense-mode his other Blue Eyes instead, in hopes to use Noah's card against him to possibly merge his dragons. 'But I need to get rid of that blasted Gravity Bind.' he thought.

Noah then took his first facedown monster and flipped it into face-up attack mode. "My Penguin Soldier has been flip-summoned, allowing me to send up to two monsters back to the owner's hand. I'll send both Penguin Soldier and my other monster both to my hand...leaving no monsters on the field."

"What's the point of that? Why are you leaving yourself so open?" Kaiba asked.

"Don't you get it, yet?" Noah smiled. He took the other card and turned it around, showing the Head of Exodia. "Once again, Exodia is back with me...I now have two pieces. Three more pieces to go, and you're finished, Seto."

Kaiba gasped, seeing that the Exodia head was back...it was the countdown to his demise. Suddenly, he was beginning to be glad that his Mokuba really wasn't here to witness this. Exodia...how could he defeat it? Did he even have the right card in his deck to do so? He now had 4 monsters on the field, and every one of them were useless, as long as Gravity Bind remained in play.

Noah smiled, saying, "I end my turn. I'm wide open now, Seto. If you drew Saggi from your graveyard, you can now flip it face up and attack me directly. Not that it would do much...but go ahead, maybe it'll make you feel better."

Kaiba drew another card...none of his cards would work, none of them affective against a Gravity Bind. It felt like he had gotten himself stuck in quicksand. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank. "I end my turn."

"I thought so." Noah said. "Well, let's get this over with, then...shall we?" He drew. "Now I use Premature Burial to bring back a monster, and I choose my Witch. Of course that brings my life points down to 3300. But I don't want you to feel too secure over that loss, so I'll use Goblin's Secret Remedy to bring it back up 600. Now I have 3900 life points...a mere 100 point loss in all."

Noah then played another card, saying, "I will then use Monster Reborn to bring another monster of mine from the graveyard, which happens to be Sangan. Incase you're wondering, Sangan was in my hand when you forced me to discard it all to the graveyard. Ready for the next move? I use the magic card Dark Hole!"

All monsters from both sides of the field were instantly destroyed. "Of course with my monsters sent to the graveyard again, their special effect takes place. I can now pick two more dark monsters from my deck to my hand. And I choose the left and right foot of the Forbidden One!"

Kaiba was twitching, as he watched Noah pull two more pieces. Noah smiled. "Well, Seto...only one more to go, and you loose. Ready to throw in the towel, yet?"

"No...never..." Kaiba hissed, trying to keep his stomach calm, as he was questioning himself on his chances left to win this at all.

"Very well." Noah said, and smiled. "I'm going to show you the card combo that will destroy you next round. I'm afraid you're dead no matter what happens." Noah flipped two cards in his hand around to show a Call of the Haunted and a Tribute of the Doomed. "Do you understand my power, now? I'll place my Call of the Haunted on the field. As soon as you pick a card, my Witch will be re-summoned to the field. So even if you find a way to get through my Gravity Bind, destroying my monster will only ensure my victory. And if you don't...then I'll destroy it during my turn. Then it'll be Game Over for you. So, that's it...you have one round. Do you see yet that there is no hope? I'll give you one more chance to surrender, and save yourself the humiliation."

"Don't listen to him, Seto! You can do this!" Yami cried out.

Noah looked over in shock. "What? How dare you speak out against me! You know full well our little agreement about helping him in any way. Just for that, I'll make sure you pay for that, Yugi!" Noah was so tempted to give Yugi the gruesome details of sending his grandpa to the hospital a second time, but he didn't want to say such things in front of the cameras and his adoring fans. He'd simply have to tell Yugi later what he's going to do.

"I end my turn." Noah said. "Your move, Seto. You have one turn to live...what's it going to be?"

Kaiba looked over his cards. He could revive his dragon, but what could-would that do? He could combine his dragons, but that would be worthless against a Gravity Bind. He could even use a card to strengthen his monster, but it still wouldn't be enough to defeat him. Was there anything he had in his deck to take out a Gravity Bind? Anything at all?

Kaiba then thought of it...there was a card that could destroy his Gravity Bind. And if he did that, maybe he could win, after all. But if he didn't get that one card...he would loose. Kaiba's hand was trembling as it approached his deck, knowing the game and his freedom rode on one card, and one card alone. But could he do it, even with the odds against him? Yugi did it...with his luck, he summoned a miracle. He summoned Exodia. And if Yugi could do it, then couldn't he?

"Draw your card, Seto...either way, you loose!" Noah laughed at him.

Kaiba stared at Noah, and realized he had been placed in a very familiar situation. Noah playing where he once was, and him seeing things from where Yugi's point of view was. Was this how it felt? It wasn't his pride that was so much at stake as it was time. He had to get back to Mokuba...he couldn't stay here to play Noah's slave, as Mokuba slowly died. He had to win this. 'I'll be there, Mokuba...I promised I would.'

He closed his eyes and drew his card.

"I activate my trap, summoning my Witch back to the field." Noah mused.

Kaiba ignored Noah's taunting, focusing on only that card. He looked at it, then smiled.

Noah's laughter began to tone down, as he glared at Kaiba. "Why are you smiling? Did you finally accept your defeat?"

"No, Noah...I accepted yours." Kaiba answered. "First, I use Remove Trap on your Gravity Bind."

Noah's eyes widened, but still kept calm. "Hmph...it's doesn't matter. Go ahead and kill my Witch. You'll do me a favor and win the game for me."

"Not quite." Kaiba said. "I activate Monster Reborn and return my other Blue Eyes to the field!"

"O-other Blue Eyes?" Noah asked in surprise. The rest of the audience was equally stunned to see another Blue Eyes on the field. "You have two Blue Eyes White Dragons?"

"No, Noah...I have three." Kaiba smiled, surprising Noah even more. He then scowled, and snapped. "Fine! Summon all the dragons you want. It'll do you no good. You still wont have enough power to stop me before I gain all 5 pieces. You'll still loose!"

"We'll see about that. After what Exodia has done to me in the past, it's only fitting that my most power monster is used to face your god and take him down." Kaiba snarled.

"What? You faced Exodia before? That's not possible. You must be going mad, Seto. Nothing can take-down Exodia!" Noah told him.

Kaiba replied, "Is that so? Let's find out. I use Polymerization, and combine it with the Blue Eyes also in my hand to form...Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

The crowd was so quiet, a pin could drop and you would hear it. The only voices heard was Kaiba and Noah's whining. "B-but...but how?" Noah asked. "I don't understand...where did you get those cards! You couldn't have gotten all three Dragons! Unless..." Noah suddenly looked down at Mokuba, suddenly feeling the betrayal of his slave stabbing him in the back.

Mokuba realized Noah remembered giving him that BEWD to throw away, and backed away fearing punishment.

"Pay attention to the game, Noah! I want your full attention when I defeat you!" Kaiba cried out, snapping Noah back to the game.

Noah yelled back, "Even with 'that' monster on the field, it's still not enough to take me down! Fool, I won! When Ultimate Dragon hits, I'll still have 500 life points left. Then Witch's special ability will take effect, and I will win! My plan is flawless! Hahahahaha!"

"I was all ready aware of that, Noah. I wasn't done yet." Kaiba said calmly. "I will now use the magic card Rush Recklessly on my Ultimate Dragon. Only for one turn alone, it will increase my monster's attack by 700...more than enough to finish you off!"

"No! You can't!" Noah cried out in sudden panic.

"Let me put it this way, Noah...I win. Ultimate Burst Breath! Strike Noah directly!" Kaiba announced. The Ultimate Dragon shot forth his 3-part lightning attack. It hit Noah's Witch, obliterating him instantly. But the power kept going directly at Noah, and hit hard."

"Ahhh! No, but my Witch's special effect will still take place!" Noah cried out.

Kaiba smirked. "That's true...but not before the damage step. I'm afraid it's over."

5200 attack points struck Noah's 1100 attack point Witch, inflicting a devastating 4100 damage to someone who only had 3900 remaining. Now...Noah had 0.

"But...that can't be. I was one piece away! Nothing can defeat Exodia, he's unstoppable!" Noah cried out.

Kaiba smiled. "Nothing's unstoppable." He then turned to Yugi's group, and of all things...he winked.

"YEAH!" Joey boomed out. "You royally kicked Noah's ass!"

From Joey's announcement, everyone cheered at once, never seeing such an incredible battle, ever. They couldn't tell which was more awesome...the strategy used, or the sight of the graphics, themselves. Either way, they knew they were going to come back here again, and maybe even get to play on the Duel Disk, themselves. And the reporters were going ballistic, reporting on the news how a nobody defeated the World Champion.


	20. Chapter 20

"You did it, Niisama! You won!" Mokie yelled, running over and hugging his new brother tightly as the others came over to congratulate him, too.

"I don't believe it, Seto... You really did it. You beat him!" Angie said.

"That was totally amazing, Seto!" Yugi said.

"Uh, am I hearing things or did Mokuba just talk?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, well if you are...I am too." Joey said.

"I guess you were right, Angie. Mokuba 'can' talk!" Yugi said as the others agreed.

"See? I told you guys that Seto wasn't nuts and that Mokuba spoke to me last night." Angie said, sticking her tongue out at them.

As Kaiba's 'friends' were gossiping about both him and Mokuba, Noah's temper was beginning to boil over from his defeat. Suddenly all at once, Noah blurted out, "You cheated!"

Everyone looked over at him, even the confused crowd. Kaiba raised an eyebrow at that. Even 'he' didn't think Noah would say something 'that' stupid. "Come again?"

"You heard me...you cheated! I don't know how you did it, but NO ONE can defeat an Exodia deck! That's not possible! And don't think that just because you expertly topped your deck, I'm going to just hand Mokuba over to you. He's MY slave!" Noah spat.

"You can't back out of the deal!" Yugi said.

Joey spat, "Yeah! You even signed a contract!"

Noah gave an amused smirk, and waved them aside like they were nothing. "Oh, please. No one is going to expect me to just hand my brother over to some stranger...that would be illegal. The whole bet was nothing but a joke. Besides, I wouldn't even have any say in the matter. That would have to be up to the legal guardian - my father. And he's not here."

Yugi's group was horrified to hear this, especially Mokuba. Noah was going to go against his word and keep him!

Strangely enough, Kaiba didn't look the least bit upset. If anything, he offered Noah his own smirk at him. "Hmph... At least you got one part right, Noah. You no longer have a say in the matter. Did you think I wouldn't anticipate your double-cross?"

"What?" Noah asked in surprise. "You can't do anything to me! There is no way you can force me to hand Mokuba over to you!"

"Oh, but I can." Kaiba explained. "It seems your loving father had no interest in making any real claims to Mokuba. And, because of which, he never bothered to file the adoption papers."

"That's not true!" Noah spat.

"Oh, but it is. He saw Mokuba as nothing more than another plaything for you. And, because of what he failed to do, Gozaburo has no legal custody over him, but I do. My parents signed the adoption papers instead, and I already had them filed. So you see, Mokuba is not your brother, he's mine. And he's coming home with me." Kaiba replied.

"But...but, that's not fair!" Noah spat. He then glared at Mokuba, who was hiding behind Kaiba. "You... You knew about this, didn't you? How could you betray me, after all we've been through!"

With his arms still wrapped around Kaiba and Kaiba's hand on his shoulder, Mokie realized he no longer had to fear Noah and spoke. "Seto told me he had a surprise for me, but didn't tell me. But even if he did say what it was, I wouldn't tell on Seto."

"And since when do you listen to him?" Noah asked.

"He's my Niisama now, and he's always been nice to me. He's always treated me like I was someone, like I mattered." Mokie told him.

"And I haven't?" Noah asked. Mokie didn't answer. "But what about all those times I was generous enough to give you time off, and be away from the mansion... Do you remember that? Wait a minute..." Suddenly, that thought clicked in his head, and he realized the truth. "All those times... You were going to see him, weren't you? All this time you have been betraying me - seeing Seto behind my back!"

Mokie tightened his grip on Kaiba, and he felt Mokie would probably cry soon if this kept up. Instantly, Kaiba made certain to bring Noah's attention back to him and away from his brother. "That's enough, Noah! Who he was hanging out with when he wasn't with you is none of your business. And, since he's coming home with me, you'll just have to deal with it on your own."

Kaiba then moved himself and Mokie back away from Noah, far enough where Mokie would find it a safe distance. Then bending down, Kaiba removed the dog collar from him. He turned and tossed it in Noah's face. "You call this treating him like a brother? I should have added a section to the rules that would have made you wear that thing!"

Joey then suddenly blurted out, "Now it's our turn, Noah! Time to pay up! Seto won this duel fair and square, whether you wanna admit it or not. So hand over my IOU, the deed to Yugi's Grandpa's store, his BEWD card, and any other threats you got dangling over our heads!"

"Why should I?" Noah snapped.

Yugi replied matter of fact, "Because it was part of the contract."

Noah turned his back on them, answering snidely, "Well, rules are made to be broken...or didn't you know that?"

Yet, after saying that, Noah was suddenly shocked when he heard loud boos from the crowd. He opened his eyes and looked around in surprise. His adoring fans were not looking so adoring, suddenly. Noah accidentally began to show his real colors in front of his fans, and he wasn't looking too good.

Kaiba sneered, saying, "That's right, Noah. Show everyone what you're really like. It's about time the news got to finally see 'the true you'."

One of the reporters moved forward, asking Noah, "Mr. Kaiba, is it true that you never had any intention on keeping your end of the deal?"

"Kaiba, is it true that you have been holding blackmail over the heads of other Duelists?" another reporter asked.

"Please...please, you misunderstand." Noah said, quickly faking a more light-hearted look. "Anything that I may have over anyone's heads are merely winnings from a past duel." Noah then turned to Yugi and the others, saying, "And of course, I plan to honor my side of the deal. I was merely kidding with my friends. What kind of person would I be if I didn't honor my word as a Duelist, after all?"

The smile on Noah was obviously forced, and if he had clenched his teeth any tighter, they would have shattered. Joey was hiding his snickering behind Yugi, and Kaiba smiled amusedly at the spot Noah had put himself into. After all, he was the one who made sure to drag in as many reporters as he could so he could see his face all across the news. But now, when Noah saw the TV, he would be reminded every time on how he was defeated.

"So, when do we get it all back, Noah?" Yugi asked.

"It's at home. I don't bring this stuff with me, of course." Noah said. "You'll get it in due time."

Mokie looked up at Kaiba, and said, "I know where it is...I'll go get it."

"Absolutely not." Kaiba protested. "You're not going anywhere near that house alone. Noah has all ready proven he can't be trusted, and I'm not going to risk losing you again."

Mokie looked over at Noah, and could see the anticipation in his eyes, as if he was hoping Mokie would take the bait and do just that. He didn't know why that surprised him, but it did. Even now, Noah was hoping to double-cross them, and take Mokuba back if he could. Mokie then turned back to Kaiba, asking, "Then, will you come with me, Niisama?"

Kaiba hated the idea of going anywhere near there, especially with the possibility of having to maybe see Gozaburo again. He quickly weighed in his mind if he thought Gozaburo himself might try something, but decided that wouldn't happen. Knowing Gozaburo, as soon as he heard that Noah lost to a supposed 'nobody' in a Duel, he would do nothing to help... Instead, he would probably bash Noah at what a worthless son he was. The only reason Gozaburo ever had interest in Kaiba, after all, was because Kaiba was a winner.

"Sure thing kiddo, I'll even help you get a few of your things together." Kaiba answered. 'Then, once I get him settled in at my house, I can see about finally getting home and getting back to my real brother. There's nothing here for me that I want, anyway. I promised I'd come back for you, Mokuba, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.'

The gang went with Kaiba and Mokuba back to Noah's to make sure Noah handed over all the remaining papers. They hoped there wouldn't be a lot of problems in getting Yugi's Grandpa's deed and Joey's IOU.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Noah, Kaiba, Mokuba and Yugi's group all left the arcade, allowing the reporters to wrap it up and for the kids to enjoy the rest of Dance-athon.

As they were walking to Noah's house, Mokie kept a tight grip on Kaiba's hand. He wanted to reassure himself that this was real and not just a dream.

But, as the group continued walking, curiosity got the best of the others and they started asking Mokuba questions.

"Say, Mokuba, we were wondering... Except for Seto, no one has ever heard you talk before. Why haven't you ever spoken to anyone else before this?" Tea asked.

Angie answered for Mokie, "He told me last night it was to keep people from caring how Noah treated him."

"Really? Is that the whole story, Mokuba? I mean, that doesn't explain why only Seto knew you could talk." Tea asked.

Kaiba suddenly turned and snapped, "Are you calling my brother a liar? I don't think that's any of your business, Gardner!"

"Damn it, Seto, will you stop it?" Angie snapped. "Geez, I thought you were finally starting to be nice to us! I thought you were starting to remember. Tea's your girlfriend, can't you be nice?"

Kaiba glared at Angie, reminding himself that she was his sister in this world... He was supposed to show at least tolerance towards her. He then glanced at Tea, who was nearly in tears. A strange pain of guilt shot through him, as he thought that maybe he did owe them for helping with the Arcade. But the Mokuba of this world had been through enough for one lifetime...he didn't need to be reminded of this!

"It's okay, Seto." Mokie said, as if he was sensing what Kaiba was feeling. "I'll talk to them about it...I don't mind."

Kaiba observed Mokuba a moment, making sure he wasn't just saying it just to make everyone else happy, and then silently nodded.

Mokie began, saying, "I first met Seto when I was only five. Noah always treated me like I was a dog. He always told me dogs don't speak and that if I spoke, he'd hit me. Seto saw him hit me that day, and he got mad and challenged him to a game of chess. He didn't win, but I was shocked at how hard he was fighting for me, even though he didn't know me...and it showed me for the first time that someone actually cared what happened to me."

'He didn't win!' Kaiba thought.

After that, Mokie glanced forward to make sure they were far enough back so that Noah didn't hear any of that. Noah was also walking back home in a huff - though not near them. But, despite their distance apart and his newfound freedom, even now Mokuba was still afraid he would be punished for speaking or telling this to anyone.

"So, that's when you talked to Seto?" Joey asked.

Mokie shook his head. "No, I didn't actually say anything to him until a year later. I was supposed to meet Noah after one of his lessons at the University, and I was running late. No one ever went with me... Noah said that a dog doesn't deserve an escort. But some strange kids ran into me, and they started to pick on me. I was scared and didn't know what to do...they looked like they wanted to hurt me. That's when Seto showed up. He must have been nearby and saw it, and then defended me from them, protecting me. He...he got hurt pretty bad. I was upset that he got hurt because of me, and...I kinda forgot I wasn't allowed to talk."

The thoughts came to Mokie's mind as clear as day...as if it was just yesterday.

_("Are you okay?"_

_"You...you can talk!"_

_"Yeah...I'm sorry you got hurt. Why did you help me?"_

_"I didn't want anything to happen to you."_

_"Why?")_

"I couldn't understand why anyone would care what happened to me. I wasn't used to it. No one else cared, so why should he?" Mokuba said.

_("What do you mean 'why'? You shouldn't even be on your own. You could get seriously hurt all by yourself. And why haven't you ever talked before?"_

_"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything! I'm not supposed to talk. Now Noah will be really mad at me and punish me."_

_"Don't be silly. I won't tell anyone...I promise. It'll be our little secret, just the two of us."_

_"Really?")_

"Seto was the nicest person I ever met. That day, he gave me his cell phone number so that anytime I needed to go anywhere, he would come with me to make sure I didn't get hurt or in danger. Then later, when I had free time once in awhile...I would visit him without telling Noah." Mokuba explained. "He was always like a brother to me, even back then. So I always called him my Niisama, even before he became my official brother."

As Mokuba told the tale, Kaiba was silently stewing over the fact that the 'other' Seto supposedly got his ass kicked by a bunch of punk kids. 'What a loser...' he thought, but said nothing.

They finally made it to the mansion. It was the same it ever looked on the outside, whether Gozaburo owned it or him. But Kaiba knew there was a big difference. Somewhere inside was the stepfather who, in his world, went sailing to his death from the 50th floor of Kaiba Corp. tower. 'Too bad that didn't happen here.' he thought.

Noah strutted up to the door, opening it and walking inside as the others approached to follow him in. A maid came to greet Noah as he roughly tossed his suitcase at her, snapping, "Take this! I'm going to my room."

She grabbed it, barely able to keep her balance as her boss stormed past, totally confused by Noah's terrible mood. She then noticed Mokie among the group of visitors and said, "Oh, Mokuba... Where is your collar?"

"He doesn't need it anymore." Kaiba answered. "Noah and I dueled for custody over Mokuba, and he lost. My parents have signed the adoption papers and now have total custody."

"Yeah, and Noah owes us all those papers he's been using to hold over our heads, too!" Joey made sure to add.

"Shut up, all of you!" Noah suddenly snapped, now on the top staircase. "You are talking to one of our maids. She doesn't need to know 'any' of this...she is not important!"

"You don't seem to think of anyone as important!" Yami butted in. "Obviously, you still haven't learned, even after losing Mokuba."

"Mind your own business, Yugi. I'll do what I want. Don't think this little setback is enough to stop me, either. This isn't over yet, for any of you!" Noah snapped back at him. He then turned to the maid, who still had the heavy suitcase in her hand, and ordered her, "Send them to the lounge to sit and wait for me. I'll be back down soon enough." Noah then stormed away, finally away from the rest of the group.

"Please, come this way." she said, leading them to the lounge.

Mokie, knowing the maids name, said, "Thanks, Nancy." as they took their seats to wait.

As Mokie spoke, she put her hand over his lips, saying, "You know the rules about speaking here."

Mokie looked sad at that, and instantly quieted, since he was so used to listening to those rules in this household. Kaiba immediately became angry and took Mokie's hand as he snarled to the maid, "Those are Noah's rules, not mine! He can speak anytime he feels like it - got it?"

The maid blinked in surprise from a stranger snapping at her like that. She was more used to Noah in his strange moods, but definitely not some kids. She simply assumed he was obviously some poor slob who had no manners.

Mokie looked up at Kaiba, brightly asking, "Really, Niisama?"

"How could you even ask that? Of course!" Kaiba replied softly, his tone now totally different from the angry tone he originally gave the maid.

Now, Angie bent down in front of him and started to stroke Mokie's hair, also answering, "You're our little brother now, Mokuba, and in our family you can talk anytime you want. And if anyone has a problem with that, then they have to deal with both Seto and me. Okay?"

This seemed to make Mokie extremely happy; he grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the upstairs. "I still have to pack up my room. Will you help me?"

"Sure. After all, I am your big sister now." Angie said.

Mokie smiled brightly. "This way, Onee-chan!" he announced, and then dragged her away.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: My editor had Onee-chan changed to Oni-chan. I got the spelling Onee-chan directly from the book fruits basket. So I don't know which is really correct but I'm keeping it at onee because that's how the book spelled it.


	21. Chapter 21

It was amazing just how much concern appeared on Kaiba's face as he watched Mokuba walk away with anyone else but him. It was probably the most emotion the group saw in him since the accident. Kaiba nervously stiffened up, grabbed the arm of the couch tightly, and looked like he was about to jump out of his skin. In fact, he had already begun to leap up, causing the rest of Yugi's group to hold him back.

"It's okay, Seto, he's with Angie - he'll be fine. We understand you care about him, but you need to give him a little space too, you know. You don't want to smother the poor kid." Yugi chuckled.

Kaiba clenched his jaw, and his eyes twitched...all he could think about was that Mokie was alone with a strange girl, and Noah wasn't in sight, and neither was Gozaburo. What if something happened to him? He should be there for him! The last time he let down his guard, 'his' Mokuba was captured. Plus, he didn't trust Noah as far as he could throw him. "I should be there." he said, fighting the group that was trying to pull him back down.

"Damn it, Seto...will you chill, already?" Joey snapped. "She's your sister - don't you trust her? She ain't gonna let anything happen to him."

He glared over at Joey, looking uncertain as the chant, 'she's my sister, she's my sister' once again began in his head as a reminder of the fact. That would also mean she's now Mokuba's sister, too. Meaning that she would keep him safe.

"Yeah, really. You've already gotten to spend so much time with Mokuba with those secret meetings all those years." Tristan said. "But you need to let Angie spend some time with him, too. If you keep trying to hog his attention all the time, she's gonna think you like him better than her. And don't you want Mokuba to get to know his new sister?"

That finally relaxed Kaiba enough to sit back down. Perhaps they were right. If she was his sister, then Mokuba deserved to spend time with his new sister, too. But it was tough...Kaiba wasn't used to sharing anything, especially the affection of his brother. Though he was sitting, he still continued to stare at the doorway they exited from, anxiously waiting his return.

But this moment made a good opportunity for another part of Yugi's group...and they seemed to be expecting it, too. Tea went from her seat to sit next to Kaiba, as the rest of the group nonchalantly got up and moved to another part of the room to give Tea a moment alone.

"Seto?" she asked. When he didn't answer, still very focused on the doorway and his own deep thoughts, she touched his face and moved it to look at her.

He immediately grabbed her wrist tightly, as if he was seeing the contact as an attempted assault. "What do you think you're doing?" Immediately, he noticed the others were away from them (when did that happen?) and that they were both together. In fact, Tea was...uncomfortably close.

"Seto, we haven't been seeing each other since the accident. I've been hoping you were getting better, from what I've seeing from you over the last week. And you said you were beginning to remember things, you know? So, uh...do you remember 'us', yet?" Tea asked, finally managing to squirm her hand out of his grip when he allowed it.

"No." Kaiba answered almost automatically, not wanting anything to do with Tea.

"Nothing?" Tea asked. "Nothing at all." She now put her hand on his shoulder, attempting to show her feelings for him.

Every touch she gave him made his skin crawl.

As tempted as he was to throw her little 'friendship charms' back in her face, he tried to keep in mind that for some ridiculous reason, the Seto from this world 'liked' her. Personally, he couldn't understand why and even considered if he said something to make them both break up in the future, maybe it would do this other Seto a favor in the long run. But then, it was none of his business if the supposed 'other' version of him wanted to be with some 'save me' ditz like her.

So, he calmly brought his hand up, took her wrist, and carefully removed it from his shoulder to make a more polite point to not do that again. "Nothing at all." Kaiba answered. "But give me a few more days...I'm sure it will all come back soon enough."

Tea nodded weakly, but tried to keep a positive outlook, hoping he was right. At least he wasn't saying anything mean to her, this time.

Noah now came back into the waiting room. He looked around, asking, "Where's Mokuba...and that other girl?"

Nancy the maid scurried over from the other room and bowed to him. "Mokuba went to pack his things, Master Noah. He took one of the guests with him."

Kaiba was silently pleased to know that Noah had no idea about it. That also meant Noah didn't do anything to them.

"Whatever." Noah angrily snapped. He tossed a couple things at of Yugi, saying, "Here! Take it, already."

They were the deed to grandpa's store, and his grandpa's BEWD card.

Kaiba glanced over as he saw the card that was thrown down. Even now, part of him felt that card should have rightfully belonged to him. His card, and yet, it rejected him. Would it still reject him now, after his heart had been shattered? He turned away, trying not to dwell on it.

Noah then showed them all a cardboard box, saying, "This box contains all debts and blackmail for you all." He then threw it into the fireplace, where a fire was blazing. In no time, the box and everything in it burned up.

"And just how do we know that that box wasn't empty?" Tristan asked.

"You're welcome to go get it." Noah said.

"No thanks." Tristan said dryly.

"But Tristan has a point. How do we know for sure you will keep your word?" Tea asked him. "You might have even made copies of things to use against us."

Noah answered calmly, "I guess you'll just have to trust me. The requirements of the Duel are to get rid of all blackmail used against you all, not to provide proof that I did it. So if you have a problem with that, that's your tough luck."

"I wouldn't worry." Kaiba said. "After that little news report earlier, every newspaper and probably even a few TV programs have listed the rules as to what Noah has to abide by and honor from his loss. If Noah tries to back out, he'll be proving to all of Domino that you can't trust him in anything. Then again, perhaps there is a concern. After all, knowing Noah...he probably doesn't really care about his reputation in the public eye, anyway."

Noah looked like he wanted to strangle Kaiba as he snapped, "Fine." From his pocket, he pulled some more papers and threw them into the fireplace, as well, looking very pissed-off. "Happy now?"

"I think I'm satisfied." Kaiba smirked.

It was about that time when Angie and Mokie showed up. Kaiba silently glanced at them both to make sure they were okay, then turned and headed for the main entrance. Everyone just stood and watched Kaiba for a moment before following, expecting him to ask Noah or the maid for the way out any moment. Yet, for some reason, that didn't happen. They were all rather surprised, but didn't say a word. An instant later, Yugi's whole group followed Kaiba out, helping Angie to take Mokuba's things.

Mokie then broke free of Angie and grabbed on to Kaiba's hand. Immediately, Kaiba's pace slowed down to make sure he wasn't going too fast for his little brother. He looked down once again wishing he was back home with his own brother...it wouldn't be long now, or so he hoped.

On the way out, a couple of guards 'accidentally' bumped into Yugi.

"Sorry." they said.

"Um, no problem." Yugi replied, rushing to catch up with the group.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The guards walked into the lounge.

"Did you do it?" Noah asked.

"Yes, sir. I switched out the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card you gave back to that punk kid and switched it with the fake you had made up."

"Excellent. The fools will never know the difference till it's too late."

"If I might ask, sir...you've rarely used that card and always claimed you hated it. So, why did you insist on getting it back?"

"How dare you question me!" Noah snapped back at the guard. But, after a pause, he smiled, saying, "Well...you're lucky I'm in a good mood, so I'll tell you. I'm planning a rematch against Seto, and this card will help me in my revenge to take him down." Noah said, laughing.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"That was amazing how you got Noah to just give it up like that! I can see the headlines now; 16-year-old Seto Yagakamiya beats the famous Duel Monster's World Champion Noah Kaiba in a Duel Monster's game!" Joey announced.

Kaiba hated hearing the similarities between these two universes, and it was strange being the one labeled as the underdog, instead of the successful duelist that he really was in his world.

/Yugi, may I take over? I need to talk to Seto./ Yami asked.

/Huh? Oh...okay, Yami./

Yami came out, and suddenly announced calmly to the others. "Why don't the rest of you go on ahead to Seto's house? I'd like to talk with him for a moment, if it's fine with everyone else."

"Niisama?" Mokuba asked looking up.

"It's all right, Mokuba. Angie will help you settle in, until I get there." Kaiba answered him.

Mokuba smiled "Okay, Niisama, whatever you say." He then ran over and grabbed Angie's hand. "Can we go home now, Onee-chan?"

Angie smiled and ruffled his hair. "Sure thing, kiddo." she said, as he started to drag her down the street, followed by the others who were laughing at Mokuba's enthusiasm.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After the others were gone, Kaiba immediately gave his 'duel battle' pose to Yami, as if he was glaring down at an opponent. "All right, Yugi, what is this about?"

"It's about time you tell me who you 'really' are. You are not Seto Yagakamiya, are you?" Yami asked, though it sounded more like a statement.

"And why would you think that? If you start claiming to people I'm someone else, they're going to start to think you're insane. Then again, with that little split-personality act you pull, I'm surprised someone hasn't committed you, already." he mused.

"Don't change the subject!" Yami snapped. "Everything is about you is different...as different as me and Yugi. You know I'm not Yugi Motou, whether you decide to admit it or not. I can see it in your eyes when you look at me. Though I look the same, I am very different from him. The same thing goes for you. Even the very aura of your being is different. And that card...what is that card that you wear? You never wore a Duel card before..."

Kaiba's hand automatically moved up and clutched at the card protectively when it was mentioned, as if it was the most precious thing in the world to him. After a pause of contemplating, balancing if he should speak the truth or not, Kaiba finally relented. He clicked open the locket and showed it to Yami.

Yami was shocked to see a picture of a 5-year-old Mokuba. "Mokuba? But...what does this mean? How could you have gotten a picture of him when he was so young? Did he give this to you? And why do you seem even more protective over Mokuba than you are of your own sister?"

"Because she's not my sister." Kaiba answered.

"What?" Yami asked.

Kaiba sighed, tired of the charade, anyway. "My name is Seto Kaiba, and the picture in this locket is my little brother. But he's not the same Mokuba that just went with Angie; he's from...somewhere else. The same place where I belong."

The whole idea of being from another world seemed ridiculous to Kaiba, making it frustrating to explain. "Listen, the point is I have no idea what this place is. For all I know, that Ajin freak is just playing with my head, or sucked me into some kind of computer world. Where I'm from, Noah doesn't exist, Gozaburo is dead, and my parents aren't even alive. So, I don't know what the hell this is, but I don't care, either. I've been here long enough, and I plan on getting out of here!"

"How did all these people die?" Yami asked.

Kaiba snapped, "I'm not standing here to give you a history on my life, Yugi. Is that all you had to ask?"

"No, it's not. You say you don't plan on staying long...so when are you planning on leaving? And what happened to the 'real' Seto?" Yami asked.

"I 'am' the real Seto!" Kaiba snapped. "As for that loser look-alike you call you friend, I have no idea what happened to him. I'm assuming when I'm gone; he'll probably come back. I was supposed to be here for two weeks, but..." At this point, Kaiba hesitated, not wanting to give anything away to anyone, especially Yugi.

"But, what?" Yami asked.

Kaiba looked away, avoiding eye contact. Perhaps he could tell him a little...it's not like anything here would affect him back home. "My brother's been sick, and I need to get back to him." The thought of Mokuba dying flashed through Kaiba's mind, but he buried it, refusing to accept that as true. "I promised him I'd get back to him today."

"How sick is he?" Yami asked.

Kaiba looked away, refusing to answer. But, from his eyes, Yami could read quite a lot. 'That bad?' Yami thought. "So, then, how are you getting back?" Yami asked, changing the subject for Kaiba's sake.

Kaiba only became more frustrated from the question, but it wasn't directed at Yami. "I...haven't figured that part out, yet. Ajin said if I didn't want to be here, I could go back. But I don't exactly trust that guy, either."

"Well, how did you get here?" Yami asked.

He gave a defeated laugh. "The explanation's just about as ridiculous as this world being real. There was this box with a dragon on it, and these two crazy people somehow got into my house and claimed to be genies from that thing, and here to grant me wishes. One of them, who calls himself Ajin, said he heard some unspoken wish I had to see my parents alive. If that really was one of my so-called unspoken wishes though, this was definitely 'not' what I had in mind."

"Do you regret coming here?"

Kaiba paused to think about that, crossing his arms in thought. "I'm not sure. There were pluses and minuses from me showing up. I did get a chance to see my parents alive again, I suppose. And I did manage to help save Mokuba from Noah, here...obviously something the other version of me was too stupid to handle on his own. So, no...I don't."

"We all appreciate what you've done. Our Seto has tried for many years to free him and always failed. But anyway...perhaps, if you called to the people who sent you here, they would appear and return you to your world."

"Hm...I guess it's worth a try." Kaiba first looked around to make sure there was no one else near to think he was insane by talking to the air around him. He then yelled out, "Ajin, I want to talk to you NOW!"

Kaiba looked around...nothing happened, nothing changed. Kaiba tried one more time with the same result. He then shrugged, "Well...so much for that idea."

Yami rubbed his chin in thought, contemplating a solution to this. He then said, "I seem to recall owning a box such as you describe. There was also a legend to that box. It is said that if the person was drawn to the box by means of a symbol, and if the desire of that said person is important enough...they may be able to offer a sacrifice in able to grant that desire."

"Meaning...?" Kaiba asked.

"That means, when you get back...you could ask the dragon of the box on your own deepest heart's desire in exchange for whatever it would want in return from yourself. That is...if you are willing to do that."

"I want to get home. But, since that box isn't here, it seems to be a moot point." Kaiba snapped, sarcastically.

Yami shook his head. "I'm not talking about the wish to get home. I'm talking about your brother. Maybe it can help, where others cannot."

There was a long pause as the two stared each other down. Though Kaiba didn't say it, somehow Yami had once again guessed more than had been said to him. And, though Kaiba was not about to admit anything, he wasn't about to deny it, either. And, as ridiculous as Yami's idea sounded, if he really was in danger of losing his brother, he would be willing to do anything to save him...even if that sacrifice required Kaiba to lose his own. He would gladly give his own life to save Mokuba - he'd do it in a heartbeat.

In fact, Kaiba was surprised Yami even told him this. The Yami of his world seemed to know Kaiba enough to realize just how willing Kaiba would be to throw his life away, when it came to Mokuba. And, since this Yami gave him the information...then perhaps the Seto of this world was different in that sense, as well.

"I'll keep that in mind. But that doesn't help the situation. I still need to find my way back there." Kaiba finally replied to him.

"You need more than to think about it, Kaiba, you need to be certain. Is your brother worth it to you, or not?" Yami questioned.

"Who are you to question me!" Kaiba snapped back, insulted that he would even ask that. "Of course he's worth it!"

"Is he?" Yami smirked. "Then let's find out. If he is truly worth it to you, then touch my puzzle."

"Hmph." Kaiba snorted. "Is that puzzle of yours supposed to scare me? Is this another game?"

"Actually, it's more of a test of heart. If your desire for a wish is as strong as you claim, then I can get you home. But, if your desire is not willing enough to offer a sacrifice..." Yami hesitated.

Kaiba smirked, "What...I'll become a card again? Or maybe you'll shatter my heart. Too late, Yugi, I've been through it all. You can't do anything more to me than you've already shown me in the past. So do your worst!"

In sheer defiance, Kaiba grabbed onto Yugi's Puzzle, and in a flash of light he was gone, leaving Yami confused and wondering just exactly what he and this Kaiba had gone through from his world. "A card? Shattering his heart? Did I do these things to you, Kaiba?"

Light was all around him. Yet, from a distance, he could hear a voice calling his name. And it was getting louder with every second...


	22. Chapter 22

_Kaiba...are you all right? Kaiba? Kaiba..._

"Kaiba!"

Kaiba's eyes shot open to see the other Yugi staring down at him. No...it was 'normal' Yugi. He knew that empty-headed stare instantly.

"Did it work?" Kaiba instinctly asked him, assuming Yugi would know the same thing Yami did.

Yugi smiled. "If you mean that your back home, then yes. It's good to see you again, Kaiba. We were worried you wouldn't get back."

Kaiba sat up, readjusting to his new environment. And...he didn't recognize it. "Where the hell am I? It looks like a war zone in here!"

Yugi looked away nervously, as Aiko answered, "Sadly enough, you're in Mokuba's room."

"What?" Kaiba snapped. Yes, after careful inspection, this was definitely Mokuba's room. But the walls were cracked and half fallen apart; the ceiling had crumbled to the baseboards. It looked like an earthquake had been through it.

Then, as Kaiba turned to his brother's bed...sure enough, Mokuba was there. The bed was the only thing that seemed untouched by any kind of debris, leaving Mokuba totally safe. He slept soundly, despite all around him, and...Mokuba didn't look well. He was very pale.

Kaiba then turned to Aiko, as she looked down at Kaiba sadly. "As promised, I kept him safe. Though I'm afraid I cannot guarantee how much longer your brother will last. And I'm sorry I didn't come to retrieve you. I heard you call for Ajin, but I feared if I brought you back, I'd be leaving your brother unprotected."

At that instant, Kaiba shot up in a standing position. He ignored Aiko's comment of not bringing him here, too focused on what she said about Mokuba. Nothing else mattered now as he moved over to Aiko. "What do you mean 'you don't know how much longer he'll last'? My brother is NOT dying!"

/He doesn't know, yet? But I thought.../ Yugi muttered.

Yami answered. /It's probably more like he doesn't want to know. I'm sure for anyone facing the fact that their only family member will soon fade from existence is a difficult thing to accept./

"I'm sorry, Kaiba. The doctors said that Mokuba has a fatal disease, and they have no cure for it. I..." Aiko began to stutter, not sure what to do for him. She knew it must be hard.

Kaiba was blinded by concern, anger, and helplessness. He snapped, "I don't want to hear this! You're the ones that claimed you can grant my wishes. Well, now you have it!" He pointed at Mokuba, snapping, "So, prove this magic of yours! Cure by brother!"

Aiko looked down at her feet, saying, "I...can't. I'm sorry, Kaiba...I lack the power to do so."

"Then what about that other idiot - your associate? In fact, where the hell is he?" Kaiba looked around, and there Ajin was, right outside the door.

Originally, Ajin was glaring angrily at Kaiba, when he first made it back...never expecting to see him, especially so soon. 'How did he get back?' he thought in a huff. But, as soon as Kaiba began to demand for him, the frown quickly became a smile...Ajin now saw possibility. "Ah...Master Kaiba, it is so good to see you again. Though rather unexpected, if I may say so."

"Get over here right now!" Kaiba snapped.

Ajin then glared over at Aiko, snapping, "Unfortunately, my assistant decided to be selfish in watching over Mokuba herself, and she refused to let me in. She's going to have to drop the shield she put up before I can obey your command."

"Kaiba, he was trying to kill us all!" Aiko said. "You can't ask me to drop this shield!"

"She's right, Kaiba, Ajin was trying to hurt us! Look at this room...he caused this!" Yugi said.

Ajin snapped back, "I was simply trying to break the shield that Aiko so stubbornly put up. If 'anything' was a danger to that poor child, it was HER stupidity!"

Aiko looked totally appalled that Ajin would lie to Kaiba's face like that. "He's lying, Kaiba! He-"

"ENOUGH!" By this time, Kaiba was having a terrible migraine, feeling like he was surrounded by children, all of whom were fighting over stupid things. "Drop the shield, Aiko."

"But, Kaiba..."

"I said DROP IT!" Kaiba snapped angrily at her.

Aiko had forgotten the terrifying glares that the Priest Seth could give a person when angry. She never did like being the one for him to direct his anger at. She nodded fearfully, and replied. "Very well, I'll do as you ask."

Ajin sneered, but quickly masked his face as Kaiba turned back to him.

Yami immediately took over for Yugi, in fear of what Ajin would do when the shield was dropped. He quickly approached Kaiba, saying, "Kaiba, you have to reconsider. If that shield is dropped, you could be placing your own brother in danger from him!"

"In case you haven't noticed already, Yugi, my brother is 'already' dying! And the only one who might be able to do something about it is the person you idiots are keeping away from him. I don't know what happened over here, and I don't care. What I do know is that these two are supposed to be serving me. So, now that I'm back, maybe these supposed 'genies' can finally stop destroying my house!" Kaiba snapped.

Yami backed away and waited for the worst, as Aiko dropped the shield.

Ajin now approached, stepping over the random debris next to Kaiba. "May I once again say that it is a pleasure serving you, Master Kaiba."

"No, you may not. You know what I want. I want Mokuba well again." Kaiba replied, pointing at his brother.

Ajin looked up innocently, stating, "But, my dearest Seto...I already did as you wanted. Where you were, your brother was perfectly healthy. You had everything you would want. So, why are you back? Are you sure your brother's the main desire, after all? Perhaps you realized there was something of greater interest than some...kid."

"That place you sent me to did not have 'my' Mokuba. 'He's' the one I want better, not some substitution! Are you too dense to figure that out? You're the one who can supposedly look in my head and see what I want, so you shouldn't have to even question it!" Kaiba snapped.

Ajin laughed. "Hm...I thought I all ready explained it to you earlier. Just as I couldn't actually bring your parents back from the grave, I also can't keep your brother from dying. That's beyond anyone's magic. So sorry..."

"Then..." Kaiba said, his eyes began to sink in despair, as he saw no way of stopping fate. 'But, wait! Yugi said that I could get my wish. I just needed to...' Kaiba turned away from Ajin, saying, "Then, you're useless to me. Where's that box?"

Ajin sneered evilly, saying, "Thank you. With those words, I am released from needing to grant you any more wishes. But, I forgot to tell you that there is something that I wish for!"

As Ajin spoke, Kaiba could hear the man's words get deeper and louder. He turned in time to see that Ajin had grown in size and become more demonic-looking. Ajin laughed as he brought a now clawed hand out towards Kaiba to grab him, as he spat. "The power of the Priest and the Pharaoh I shall combine with my own, and find my own way of gaining ultimate power! I shall finally become a Jinx 'my' way!"

"Seto, watch out!" Aiko cried, seeing Ajin lunge at him and her helpless to do anything about it. If only...if there was only something she could do.

Kaiba was originally deep in thought on how to save Mokuba when he turned his back on Ajin. Yami's words from the other world were ringing through his head, reminding him that he had to somehow ask the dragon of the box, and offer him a sacrifice for Mokuba's life. He had to find the dragon. The dragon was the other only thing that could save him.

But, as Ajin's words came booming through the room, Kaiba turned, surprised, to see Ajin bearing down on him with words of deceit. And still, the dragon was strongly in Kaiba's head. He didn't care anymore what happened to him, as long as Mokuba was all right.

And, before Ajin could even touch Kaiba, something suddenly snaked around the evil mage like a giant python. It tightened around Ajin as he struggled, and its own power shot through the coils that were wrapped around him. Ajin cried out as he was shrunken down to the size of Mokuba's little dragon plushy. Finally, Ajin turned to face his attacker, to see the dragon from the box had emerged coming alive...and was now holding him in a tight grip.

"How can this be happening? This is not possible!" Ajin cried out in rage, though presently seeming helpless to do anything about it.

Yami turned and asked Aiko, "Aiko, what's happening?"

"I don't know." Aiko replied, seeming just as confused.

Yet, for a change...Kaiba didn't look in the least bit surprised. He found what he was looking for. "You're the dragon of the box that Yugi told me about."

/No I didn't/ Yugi exclaimed.

Yami responded. /He must be talking about the Yugi from whatever that other world was he came from./

(That is correct. My name is Toranado. I was once the High Mage to a great King from my land. We had a powerful enemy that tried to kill the king and gain power, but I had stopped him. What I did not realize was that this foe had placed a curse on my spell box, which once was a gift given to me by the king. He called it poetic justice that I was bound to the very present given to me as punishment in defeating him. Ever since then, I had been forever trapped.)

"I don't understand." Aiko interrupted. "If you've been trapped that long, then how is it you're here now?"

(Quite simple, my child. Your compassion to save that boy at all cost, even going against your much stronger and more powerful partner, has allowed me to be here now...that and the ties these two boys have to the symbol of the dragon. And, once my task has been fulfilled here, I will finally be free.) Toranado said.

Kaiba retorted, "Listen...I really don't care what your life history is. I was told you could help save my brother. So, can you help him or not?"

(There may be a way.) Toranado told him.

A rare smile came to Kaiba as Toranado said that. He nodded, as if seeming to understand something Toranado didn't even say yet. "I know my request requires a sacrifice. I'm more than willing to offer whatever it is you need. So take it, all ready...just let him live."

Yami gasped as he heard this. "No...Kaiba!" He feared what Kaiba was probably willing to give away so freely, reminding him back at the top of Pegasus castle. Yami almost gave Kaiba his wish, and was about to let him die that day. It was Yugi that stopped him. He couldn't let that happen again. Yami cried out at the dragon, "You can't do this to him!"

"Stay out of it, Yugi!" Kaiba snapped, not wanting him to interfere. His life was nothing without Mokuba, anyway. If taking his life could help Mokuba live...then he would gladly offer it without a second thought.

"Haven't you learned anything since the last time?" Yami asked, "There must be something else that can be offered to the dragon besides your life!"

(Your wish will be granted.) The dragon's eyes glowed, and in an instant, Kaiba collapsed onto the ground.

"Kaiba..." Yami whispered is despair.

"NO!" Aiko then screamed and ran to Kaiba, dropping to her knees as she began to cry for him.

Yami looked angrily over at the dragon. "You killed him. Was 'that' extreme a sacrifice truly necessary?"

(Do not fear, Pharaoh, your priest still lives.)

"What?" Aiko asked, looking down at Kaiba. Sure enough, he was still breathing.

/He's alive/ Yugi responded ecstatically.

"Then...what did you do to him?" Yami asked, bewildered.

Toranado answered. (He merely sleeps. Energy had been taken from him to help perform the wish that had been asked of him. Yet, more energy is needed. We will take any further energy needed from the genie that had failed in his sentence.)

"What?" Ajin cried. Instantly the dragon sapped the energy of Ajin, who cried out, "AHHHH!" He instantly vanished from existence.

Now the dragon turned to Aiko, stating, (It is now your task to complete, child.)

"What? M-my task? But I don't have the power to do this..." Aiko said.

(You are wrong. Between your time in the box, your loyalty to those you served, and the kindness of your wishes that you have granted, you have achieved in becoming a Jinx. That was the reason you had been able to keep Ajin at bay, when he fought against you. You are stronger than you think, child. The dragon can draw forth the power that's needed for the task at hand, but you are the genie of the box and the only one powerful enough to complete this task. Only you can finalize what needs to be done. It is now time to drop the final shield and help save that sick boy.)

Aiko turned, dropping the shield on Mokuba. She then did as the dragon asked and tried to summon forth what was needed to save Mokuba's life. Suddenly, little blue bubbles merged with the green energy of Ajin's magic and soon fused together as Aiko continued her chants. Soon, a giant wall of gold surrounded the bed, falling as if it were a waterfall. A beautiful golden ball of light shined and soon surrounded both Kaiba and Mokuba before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Then the waterfall soon dispersed, showering the room in golden lights before eventually fading away. It was finally over.

Yami turned to the dragon, saying, "Then...Mokuba will live. Does that mean he's okay, now? And what about Kaiba?"

(Both are now in a deep sleep. Ultimately, the one you call Mokuba will be cured, having nothing more than a bad case of the flu, and will recover within a few weeks time.) Toranado explained.

"And Kaiba?"


	23. Chapter 23

(The young man will be tired and drained of energy for a few days. Then, he too will recover as if it never happened.)

"So, what happens now?" Aiko asked.

("From this day forward, you will have complete control over the magic box, and over time will learn all of its secrets. You will be the one to choose who handles the magic box and who does not, from this point on.") Toranado said.

"Thank you. But if I'm so powerful now, then why couldn't I just heal Mokuba in the beginning?"

(Your power in the beginning was still weak and needed time to grow. At that time, even a wish could not have taken away his illness forever. Ajin could have, had he been of pure heart. But his taintedness kept him from ever reaching his true potential. Even still...his help was needed to finish so great a task as giving back life. If it were not for the added power, the boy would have been alive but sickly for life, or his brother would have had to be killed to truly revive the other. The strength of the wishes depends on the power level of the genie inside the box.)

"Well, then Mokuba's better...right? So, why didn't the power completely cure him?" Aiko asked. "I thought I felt...resistance when I cast that spell."

(You must be very careful when playing with fate, child. I made sure that the boy would revive slowly and naturally as possible. It's dangerous for people to begin to believe that magic can cure all illnesses. It's even more dangerous to play with fate. If such power is abused, fate has a way of compensating itself. So use your powers wisely.)

"Does that mean that by sparing Mokuba, some terrible disaster can occur?" Yami asked.

(Not anymore than the imbalance already taking place in this world, now. You still need to complete your task as well, Pharaoh. Your very presence in this world is upsetting the seeds of fate.)

Yami lowered his head. "Yes. There is still a mystery about me that I need to solve. As long as both Kaiba and Mokuba are safe and the threat of Ajin is gone, then I should take my leave and let them rest."

Yami then looked up at Aiko, and nodded. "It was good meeting you again, Aiko. I'm sorry I don't remember knowing you before and the circumstances behind it. But it's good to know that somewhere out there, I have another friend."

Aiko nodded, "Thank you, Pharaoh. I am honored to know I am seen as your friend."

Yami then left. Aiko turned to the dragon, and said, "I understand and will use my powers wisely. I think I will remain here, at least until Kaiba recovers enough to take over Mokuba's care." Aiko said.

(Very well, then. My time has come, thanks to you. Ajin and his evil are gone, and the young boy will recover. Farewell.) Toranado then vanished, leaving the room filled with silver lights before they too, like the gold lights, faded away.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning, Kaiba began to awaken and realized he was alone in Mokuba's bed. 'I'm alive?' he thought. Panic then struck him as he thought of that. If he was alive...what would that mean of Mokuba?

Kaiba sprung up, crying out, "Mokuba!" and felt himself pull away from something warm. He looked down, seeing his brother...still breathing, yet still not conscious.

Kaiba hovered over him protectively, checking his head for fever and trying to see if he was well.

Mokuba's head seemed a little cooler, which calmed Kaiba down some. He was alive, he was okay, and he wasn't dead.

His brother then stirred for a moment, and then wrapped his small arms around Kaiba, as he continued to rest, now curled around his brother.

Kaiba felt tired, himself. He considered lying back down, but he didn't want to go back to sleep in case this was just a dream. He didn't want to wake up to find out none of it was real, and he was now alone in the world without him. Plus, he had a million questions in his head, wondering what happened.

"You should rest." a familiar female voice said, and he turned to see Aiko standing in the doorway. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still alive, it seems." Kaiba responded, neutrally. He then looked down at Mokuba, and added, "Forget about me. How is 'he' doing?"

"He's doing fine. But, if you don't lie down, you're probably going to wake him soon."

"That doesn't answer my question." Kaiba snapped at her. "Is he going to be all right?"

Aiko answered, "Yes. His deadly virus is now just a bad flu, which will go away in a couple weeks. He's going to be okay."

With that info sinking in, Kaiba let the stress finally slip from him, and the weariness soon over-took him, having lost too much energy to keep himself up. Kaiba gave up fighting, and lay back down. He still had questions, but decided to let them go for now.

Very quickly after laying down, Kaiba went back to sleep. Aiko approached, smiling down at the sight before her. She pulled the blue blanket back up, covering them both with it, then turned and left them alone.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Kaiba didn't wake up again until the next day. He stretched tiredly, forced himself back up. He didn't know how long he'd been out the first time, and felt like he slept forever. So, why was he still so tired?

Forcing himself up, despite how tired he was, he stood and then covered Mokuba back up. Even as he covered his brother, he thought how strange it was feeling so tired. It reminded him of the sleep deprivation Gozaburo used to force upon him years ago. And just like that time, he also forced himself to shake it off and ignore the so-needed sleep.

"Where do you think you're going?" Aiko asked him, suddenly coming back in the room.

Kaiba turned, to see her standing there. "Still here, huh? So, why are you here? Are you waiting for another wish from me?"

"I have been freed from the box. Now, I control it. I no longer need to grant wishes, Kaiba. I am here because I want to be. You were in no condition to watch over your brother...you still aren't. You need to rest; you are still too weak." Aiko said.

"From what?" Kaiba asked.

"In order to cure Mokuba, the magic required a sacrifice from you. But it merely required some of your energy, not your life. You'll be fine in a couple of days." Aiko told him. "But you need time to recover."

Kaiba could feel his eyes closing, and grabbed the end of the bed to keep from falling over. Aiko approached for added support. "You can be a stubborn one, sometimes. Get back to bed."

"Not until I have answers." Kaiba insisted. "How long was I out?"

"It's been over a day, now. You're still not expected to totally recover for another couple of days."

"I remember the room being in shambles. How did it get cleaned up?" Kaiba asked.

Aiko answered, "I'm a Jinx, now. I was able to bring the room back to its natural state. It was the least I could do, after the damage my ex-partner had caused."

"How's Mokuba now?" Kaiba asked. "Has he improved some more?"

"He's doing fine. His fever is down to 102 now." Aiko said.

"Good." Kaiba said, pausing as he looked down at his brother.

Aiko asked, "Are you going back to bed, now?"

"...I'm thirsty." Kaiba said.

Aiko smiled. "I'll get you some water."

Aiko left, getting a glass of water. By the time she went back to the room, it seemed Kaiba had given up fighting sleep, and was once again in bed curled around his brother, as he slept soundly.

She smiled and put the water on the nightstand, beside them. She then whispered, "If you wake and still need that drink, Kaiba, it'll be there for you." She then left to let them sleep.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was three days later. During those times, Mokuba even woke up a couple of times and she managed to make sure they both got something to drink and something light to eat, to help keep their strength up.

This was also now the first day Kaiba felt good enough to get up and not collapse. He quietly slipped from his brother's room, getting a much-needed shower in, changing clothes, and then finally looking for Aiko.

"I appreciate all your help." Kaiba said, once he found her.

"It was my pleasure. But, I was curious about one thing. Without Ajin or myself to assist you, how did you get back here?"

"I found a way - that's all that matters." Kaiba answered, being his usual cold self. The last thing he wanted to do was admit to anyone he once again owed Yami a favor. He turned away, thinking, 'I kept my promise, Mokuba. I wouldn't leave you...no matter what.'

"I see. Well, I'm pleased to see you are once again well enough. I guess that means you don't need me, anymore." Aiko said.

Kaiba glanced down at her, thinking that for a moment he sensed an almost sadness in her voice.

She smiled, saying, "That's fine. I have a lot of studying to do, and new powers to learn."

Kaiba turned away once again, muttering, "Listen, Aiko, I know you seem to think I'm this other priest, or whatever. I don't know what you had with him, but you do understand that's not the case, now."

She nodded, "I know that. Perhaps over time we outgrew each other. Neither of us are the same people, anymore. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't still enjoy serving under you again, as I have in the past."

Kaiba glanced over at her, a little wide-eyed.

Aiko laughed at that. "That's not how I mean by serving you."

Kaiba glared down at her. "Reading my mind again?"

"No, simply your expressions. I still know them well." She picked up the box, saying, "Perhaps we'll see each other again, sometime."

"You never know." Kaiba said, though feeling uncertain that he'd want to. Anytime he came in contact with magic, it never seemed to be good. The last time before this, he was turned into a playing card.

Then in the blink of an eye, Aiko was gone...vanished, along with the box.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As much as Kaiba wanted to be with his brother the entire time until he got better, he had already missed three days of work. Paperwork was piling up, meetings missed, projects delayed. Without him there, Kaiba Corp would probably lose their direction...or worse. Some young idiot upstart would start delegating authority, and that's when power starts to go to people's heads. Next thing that normally happens is that Mokuba's life is being threatened again.

Like it or not...it was time to go back to work. But then, that left the problem of a babysitter to watch over him, once again.

Kaiba thought about this dilemma. 'Hmm... Maybe I should have asked Aiko to stay a little longer,' he thought. But regrets certainly weren't going to help his dilemma. Besides, after what happened, he wanted her gone. Not that she had done anything wrong; he simply didn't want the constant reminder around him that he almost lost his brother.

As he continued to think about what to do about Mokuba, the doorbell rang. Kaiba headed to the front door, assuming maybe it was Yugi or one of his groupies that came to see how Mokuba was. He opened the door, and to his surprise it was the babysitter. 'Wasn't she on vacation? Was it over so soon?'

"Good day, Mr. Kaiba." she said. "I was just told from the doctor about poor young Mokuba's illness. How is he? I heard it was fatal."

Kaiba's eyes widened. He quickly made a mental note to fire that doctor for daring to talk about this matter. "Obviously, the doctor seemed to have exaggerated the symptoms. Mokuba has the flu, and he's getting better."

"Oh! Well, that's a relief. When I heard, I was so worried about the poor boy, I even came back early. I can only imagine the amount of work you must have missed." At that thought, she said, "How 'have' you been watching him and working?"

"I've been home." he stated.

"You must very behind in your work. You should have called and told me. I would have returned if I knew you needed help. Please, sir, allow me to assist you." Lady Bower said.

Her words reminded Kaiba of why he hadn't fired her in the past. She might not be the best nanny in the world, but she was loyal, she put work first before vacation time, and she was always conscience over his need to run the company.

But, he promised his brother...Mokuba didn't like her.

Well, though he agreed to have her replaced, he never gave Mokuba an actual time or day. It wouldn't hurt to keep her on a little longer until he got caught up, and maybe until Mokuba got better. Yes...it's not a broken promise, it's simply a delay.

Kaiba moved back allowing her in, and replied in a very business-like tone, "Thank you. Mokuba is upstairs. Any medicine required for him is on the nightstand beside him. Make sure he drinks a lot of liquids and eats light. I'll be back later today."

Lady Bower smiled. "Fear not Mr. Kaiba, I'll make sure he's in good hands."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Even though Kaiba was swamped with work, Mokuba kept coming to his mind, still very worried about his brother's condition. And, he felt guilty about being away from him when Mokuba was home sick and in need. So, he took care of the most necessary tasks that could only be done at Kaiba Corp, then piled up his paperwork and took it home with him.


	24. Chapter 24

Kaiba came back to the mansion early, deciding he could at least partially work at home while watching over his brother. He entered the house and walked over to the stairs, then froze after something caught his attention.

Backing up, he noticed Mokuba's dragon plushy was in the living room...strange. Kaiba approached, grabbed the plushy and brought it upstairs to Mokuba's room.

Mokuba wasn't in his bed, either.

Dropping plushies, files, and carrying cases all onto the floor, he immediately ran out of the room to find his brother. That's when he almost literally ran into Lady Bower.

"Oh, my! I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba...I heard a noise and was afraid someone broke in!" She looked at her watch. "It's so early, too! I wasn't expecting you for another 3 hours." She then gasped. "And look at your paperwork...it's a mess! I'll send for someone to clean that up for you."

"Don't bother...I'll take care of it. Most of my work could easily be done at home, so I came back. Where's Mokuba?" Kaiba asked.

"Don't you worry about him, Mr. Kaiba, young Mokuba is safe in my care...just as young Noah was when I used to watch him." she said.

Kaiba blinked. "You used to watch Noah?"

"You didn't know? I'm sorry, I assumed you knew that when you kept me on...after Gozaburo's demise, of course. It's a pity, really, your stepfather was a great man." she said.

Kaiba's eye twitched at the praise about his stepfather. He thought he got rid of everyone that used to suck up to Gozaburo. How'd he miss her? "Since Mokuba isn't in his room, I assume he's feeling better? He left his toy in the living room, by the way. Try to keep them in his room, if he forgets."

"Oh, he didn't leave that there...I did that. Children his age are much too old for toys like that." Lady Bower told him.

Kaiba gave her a death glare after hearing that, hissing, "I gave him that."

Lady Bower smiled. "Well, perhaps you should be giving your brother something more educational, then. Your stepfather tried to give his son everything he ever wanted. You have no idea how he regretted that. Noah was a spoiled child that was out of control. When that boy died, your stepfather made certain not to make the same mistake twice. I mean, look at the brilliant man he turned you into. Isn't that what you would want for your brother?"

Kaiba turned pale from what she had said. Once again, Kaiba repeated, "Where is my brother?" now speaking to her as if she was someone who just kidnapped Mokuba and not the babysitter.

"It's a waste to be having him rotting away in that bed, wasting so much time doing nothing. I put him in the learning room you used to be sent to, to study. Of course I'm no tutor, so I can't teach him like your teachers used to teach you. But he is studying, which is important for someone his age." she explained.

How long had she been doing this? Has she been treating Mokuba the same way those tutors had treated him at that age? How could he have not seen this...and he let her watch his brother for this long? She wasn't a babysitter, she was a monster! "Get out."

"I'm sorry, what was that Mr. Kaiba?" Lady Bower asked.

"I said...Get. Out. I want you out of my house, NOW!" Kaiba snapped, his eyes like ice.

"W-what? You can't be serious!" she exclaimed.

"Don't make me have to repeat myself." Kaiba hissed.

Lady Bower was not pleased, but turned to leave. "I still don't know what the problem is. However, if that is the way you feel, you can send me my things. Good day, Mr. Kaiba."

"Don't come back. And don't bother to try to get unemployment from me, either. You make that attempt, and I'll have you charged with child endangerment." Kaiba answered her, coldly.

Lady Bower looked shocked. "Child endangerment? How dare you accuse me of endangering that child? It's just a minor cold!"

"GET OUT!" Kaiba snapped.

She wasn't used to Kaiba hollering like that, and practically ran out of the house when he yelled.

Kaiba slammed the door, and then went on his search to find his brother. There was Mokuba; he'd fallen asleep on the desk with random papers around him. It reminded him of himself when he used to pass out, after doing pages upon pages of work without rest. 'Mokuba...I'm sorry.' He wanted his brother to have as normal a childhood as he could get. He wanted him to have the happiness and freedom he never had. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to grow up to be just like him!

He gently picked him up, taking him back to his room and putting him into bed. He then walked over and picked up Mokuba's dragon toy. Then started to tuck his brother in...and as he did, Mokuba finally began to wake up.

"Mmm?S-Seto?" Mokuba asked, rubbing his eyes and looking up at his brother standing over him.

Kaiba sat down on the edge of his bed. "Hey kiddo. I believe this is yours." he said, handing Mokuba his dragon toy.

Mokuba brightened immediately, seeing that. "You found my dragon!" he exclaimed, taking the dragon. "Thanks Seto!"

"Don't worry about it...you wont lose it again. Speaking of which, I got rid of Lady Bower today, as I promised I would. I'll find a replacement for her later, but for now I just want you to rest and get better."

Mokuba snuggled up with his dragon and said, "Thanks, big brother."

Kaiba looked down at the floor, muttering, "I'm sorry I didn't stay."

"I understand." he said. "You already missed a lot of work because of me. I don't want to be in your way."

"You're never in my way. Don't ever think that!" Kaiba exclaimed. He immediately calmed down though, not wanting to upset his brother. He smiled down at him, saying, "Besides...there are things a lot more important than work." he said, referring to Mokuba.

With that said, Mokuba sat up and hugged him. Kaiba hugged back, and then tucked him in, whispering, "I'll be here for you. Don't worry...I'll be working at home for awhile."

That seemed to relax his brother, who went to sleep. Kaiba kissed him on the head, and then took his business things which were still lying on the floor, and set it all up to work in here as his brother slept.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next day, he reluctantly went back to school, not sure how the school was going to react. After all, last time he was in school, he left with his brother without saying a word. He didn't even want to come back today, but the principal called and threatened to fail him for so many absences, if he didn't come back.

Fortunately, Aiko called the school when Kaiba was out cold, pretending to be one of the secretaries. She informed them of Mokuba's serious illness, and who Mokuba was to Kaiba. That at least pacified the principal long enough for Kaiba to recover.

As for Mokuba, Kaiba had hired a woman that his secretary recommended. She told Kaiba that she often used her to care for her own children. Kaiba ran a thorough background check on her himself, to make sure he didn't miss anything before allowing her to care for Mokuba till he got home from school.

During school, he seemed to have no problems with the teachers, and wasn't even bothered by Yugi's group.

...at least until lunchtime.

Tea was the first to approach, while he was doing more business work instead of eating.

"Hey, Kaiba." Tea said, standing next to him.

Kaiba glanced up at her, and then behind her where the entire rest of the group were hovering, not very far off.

Yugi was next to approach. "So, how are you?"

"Fine." he said, looking back to his laptop and hoping they would just go away.

They didn't. "Um, well, we were just wondering...how's Mokuba doing?" Tea asked.

"He'll be fine." Kaiba answered, offering nothing else.

"That's great news, Kaiba!" Yugi said.

A present was then placed down on Kaiba's desk. Kaiba looked over at it, then up at Tea. She smiled sweetly, saying, "It's for Mokuba. I was wondering if you could give it to him for me, as a get-well gift."

He picked up the present, looking at it...and then put it back in her hands, surprising her.

Tea looked back at the present then at Kaiba, feeling very down and depressed. "I guess that means no."

"Why, you rotten lousy stuck-up...!" Joey already began to spout.

But Kaiba's words cut him off, as he told Tea, "Bring it to the mansion around 5, and you can give it to him, yourself. I'm sure Yugi remembers where it is, so even a cheerleader ditz like you can make it there."

"Really?" Tea asked, shocked. "You mean...you'll let me stop over?"

Kaiba shrugged. "Whatever."

Joey immediately jumped in front of everyone. "Wow, really? So, that means you don't mind me stopping over, too...right?"

"Don't push it!" Kaiba snapped. But then he smirked, adding, "Besides, we have a strict 'no pets allowed' rule."

"Why you?" Joey started.

Tristan then grabbed Joey, pulling him back, and he jumped in front. "But maybe Tea's not the only one who wants to visit Mokuba!"

Kaiba's hand went up to his head, trying to calm the sudden migraine, thinking, 'Open the flood gates, and see what you get.' Why did he think inviting Tea was a good idea, again? Oh, yeah...Mokuba's sick and the company would probably cheer him up. "Fine." Kaiba muttered. "But, no one had better break anything."

"All right!" Joey cheered, automatically accepting that as an invitation.

...and there went any further chance for peace and quiet. Giving up, Kaiba packed his laptop and papers, and stepped through Yugi's cheerleading squad, trying desperately to ignore them. Especially Yugi, who was next to thank him and ooze about how 'nice' and 'wonderful' he was being, as well as the usual 'let's be friends!' speech. He ignored it all.

And in the process of concentrating so hard to ignore them, he ran into someone else.

"Oh, I'm...I'm sorry. I should have been watching where I was going."

Embarrassment over running into someone instantly turned to anger, and Kaiba opened his mouth to spit venom down this idiot's throat for daring to be in his way...and choked on his words from who was in front of him.

"Angelee?" Kaiba instantly asked, shocked to see the sister from another dimension standing there, right in front of him. How did she get here?

But there was no recognition in her eyes as she asked, "Do I know you?"

Tea came running over, saying, "Angie! Hey, we've been waiting for you!" Realizing both Kaiba and Angie were still both standing there, staring at each other, she realized maybe an introduction was in order. "Oh, uh...this is Seto Kaiba. Remember, I told you about him?"

"Oh!" Angie said, stepping back from him, as her thoughts of this person changed instantly. Kaiba wasn't surprised from the reaction, after hearing she had heard gossip about him...so much for the 'friendship' girl. He had a feeling whatever Tea had to say about him, it probably wasn't very nice.

"So, Kaiba, how do know Angie?" Tea asked, suspicious.

"I don't." he answered, but realized he needed a better answer than that. How did he know her name, after all? All ready, he could see that Yugi was now Yami, and raising his eyebrow in suspicion. Kaiba looked back over at Angie, adding, "I thought she was someone else."

"Oh. Well, Kaiba...this is Angie Harper. Angie...that's Kaiba." Tea said.

"It's nice to meet you." Angie politely said, holding her hand out.

Kaiba looked down at the hand but didn't take it, his mask of disinterest once again plastered on his face.

"Don't take it personally...he's like that with everyone." Tea said to Angie before turning back to Kaiba. "Angie just moved here about two weeks ago - she's an exchange student. She's staying with me till she can find a new place to live. She was supposed to stay till the end of high school, but my father just lost his job a few days ago and he feels it's better if she finds someplace else to stay. He said that she could stay till we can find someplace else. Please try to be nice to her...it's her first day. She couldn't start till her school records came in, which was yesterday."

Tea then turned to Angie, saying, "Come on, let's get going. We wanted to show you around the school before the next class starts."

"Bye, it was nice to meet you." Angie said. She then muttered to Tea, "He doesn't seem as terrible as you said he was." as Tea started to quickly drag her off before Kaiba could hear that...which he did, anyway.


	25. Chapter 25

The limo was taking Kaiba home, yet all he could think about was meeting Angie. His sister also existed in this world.

'No! She's not my sister!' Kaiba mentally berated himself for the tenth time. It was too confusing for him. He had literally programmed himself in that other world that she was his sister, that now he was having trouble 'not' seeing her as family.

He was equally upset with himself that he didn't see this coming. After all, except for minor changes, the other world had all the same people. He should have foreseen that he would eventually run into her in this world, as well. Then again, he had even now been trying to convince himself that it wasn't real; it never happened...it was just some bad dream. Mokuba was never in danger, it was just the flu all along and Kaiba never came close to losing his brother. Denial was an easy thing, but not when someone like Angie showed up, shooting the whole concept apart.

Kaiba looked outside at that moment, trying to find some distraction to not think about it. But, as he did, he noticed the strange familiarity of this neighborhood...it was the same place where he walked to his house, the house where his parents lived.

Without even a warning, Kaiba suddenly snapped, "Take a left at the corner."

The driver did as ordered, then asked, "Any specific destination, sir?"

"No, just drive."

Why was he directing the driver to his other dimensional home? This was not going to help matters any. Perhaps...he was hoping to not see the house there, to prove such an alternate reality could not have happened here, to convince himself once and for all that what he remembered wasn't real and wasn't possible.

And yet...there was the house.

"Pull over." Kaiba commanded. The driver had no idea why his boss was giving him these commands, but he did so without question.

The limo was parked on the side of the road, and Kaiba looked across the street at a home that looked just like the one he lived in, while in that other reality; even the color was the same. The neighborhood looked almost exactly alike, as well.

The whole thing was so strange; it made him wonder for a moment if maybe they weren't in his reality anymore. Maybe his driver somehow pierced the boundaries of reality and they were once again in that other world. He expected to see Angie or his parents come out any minute, and someone at that moment did come out, but it was no one he recognized.

Two boys came out, playing ball with each other. The mother stepped out, calling to the kids and warning them about playing ball too close to the house. She had a small shovel for gardening, and was heading to the back. Just then a van pulled up, and the kids dropped their ball, calling to their Dad who stepped out and greeted them. It was a picture perfect family...one he had always hoped to somehow provide for Mokuba. The very thing that convinced Kaiba to go to that other universe in the first place, to help his brother, which didn't seem to help matters for him at all.

Mokuba. Why was he here anyway, staring at a house that obviously wasn't his? Kaiba finally understood now, why he even bothered to go to this house. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he actually missed certain aspects of that other world. The challenge of a new game, meeting his parents again, seeing his home again, having...having a sister. And every time the picture of this other Angie came into his head, it was an almost painful reminder that she wasn't really family.

Kaiba frantically shook his head. He did not lose a sister - she was 'never' a sister to him! The fantasy of that other world was passed, and his world was all that mattered, now.

Kaiba turned away, saying, "We can go, now. Take me home."

"Very good, sir." the man said, and began driving again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Kaiba got home and checked on Mokuba first thing - he was fine and sleeping soundly. So, Kaiba then gave the sitter her money and asked if she could stay on as his new permanent baby-sitter. But, unfortunately, she couldn't, having a family of her own. She barely had time to watch her friend's kid, let alone another person's...she was forced to decline the offer. After she left, Kaiba went into his office to work.

He worked for about an hour. Then at 4:30, Kaiba went upstairs to Mokuba's room to check on him again.

In his brother's room, Mokuba had woken up. He was sitting up, still holding onto his Dragon plushy, while reading a book. He looked up immediately as soon as Kaiba opened the door. "Big brother!" he smiled, bright-eyed. He was looking better. "I didn't know you were home. I thought you went to work."

"I'm going to be home a little more, since you're still sick. Besides, we still need to find you a new sitter. So, how are you feeling?" Kaiba asked.

"I'm still a little tired, but I'm feeling better." Mokuba answered. Then looking down, he added, "I'm sorry you're missing work 'cause of me."

Kaiba frazzled his hair. "Don't worry about it. To see you, it's worth the trade."

Mokuba smiled at that.

Kaiba checked his temperature, and saw it was now down to 101. He gave him some Tylenol, and then took away all the other medicines that they had prescribed for him. "Well, you better get something else to wear besides pajamas...you have company coming over soon."

"Huh? Company?" Mokuba asked, assuming at first it was work-related. "Who is it?"

"Yugi and the others."

"Really?" Mokuba asked, not sure if he'd heard right.

Kaiba shrugged with disinterest. "I thought you should be warned. They seem to want to bribe you with gifts, and probably do their sickening friendship chant."

Mokuba giggled at that. Only Seto could find that as a bad thing. "I'm surprised you're letting them come by."

"They did help out somewhat in that other world. I suppose it's the least I could do..." Kaiba muttered.

At that, Mokuba blinked at him. "Huh? What other world? Seto...what do you mean?"

Kaiba immediately turned towards him, surprised by Mokuba's question. He didn't remember? Or maybe...maybe there was nothing to remember. Maybe it really was all a dream. But that still didn't explain how Angie really existed, if she was nothing more than someone he thought up in his dreams.

He turned away immediately, answering, "Never mind...it's not important." Kaiba was then out of Mokuba's room before he could ask any more questions.

Mokuba was used to his brother being that way, to avoid saying something he didn't want to. But, if his brother took off that fast just to avoid being questioned, it was obviously something that bothered him. He wished his brother would be more open to him sometimes, but knew it was because of Gozaburo that made him that way - show no weakness.

Mokuba sighed. Maybe Yugi had something to do with it...Yugi was one of the few that could get under his brother's skin. Maybe Yugi unintentionally guilted his brother into letting the group see him. But then, what was all that talk about another world? 'Well, maybe he'll talk about it when he's ready.' Mokuba thought, and started getting dressed.

Kaiba was all the way down in the kitchen by this time, head-aching over his brother's reaction to that information. He was all ready trying to reason away why he would have met a person he never saw before. 'She had to sign up to go to Domino High. Perhaps, I was passing by and saw her during that time. That had to be it...I subconsciously saw her, and simply didn't realize it. So, maybe my creating her as a sister in my dream was simply due to a subconscious remembrance of her. None of it happened...it was all a dream. If Mokuba doesn't remember it, then that proves it didn't happen!'

And while Kaiba was working himself into permanent denial, the doorbell rang.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Just outside the Kaiba mansion, Yugi, Joey, Tea and Angie made their way to the front gates, where they were allowed to enter and were making their way to the front door.

"Hey Joey, how come Tristan didn't come?" Tea asked.

"Oh, well he promised his sister that he'd baby-sit for his nephew Johji." Joey said

Tea rolled her eyes at that. "Johji...ugh! Better him than me." (1)

"Why would you say that Tea?" Angie asked.

"You've never met his nephew, and believe me...you wouldn't want to. He may look like an innocent baby, but he's a total pervert!"

Angie shrugged, deciding any more information on the matter wasn't worth it, and changed the subject. She looked over at Joey, asking, "So, Joey...what do you have in the sack?"

Joey opened the sack to reveal a baby kitten.

"Oh, he's so cute!" Tea beamed.

"A kitten?" Yugi asked. None of them even knew if Kaiba would allow pets. "No offense, Joey, but why a kitten?"

Joey gave a grin, saying, "It's a shot at Kaiba. He's always calling me a dog, so I thought I'd get 'im one."

Everyone stared at him. Yugi said slowly, "But, Joey...that's a kitten, not exactly a dog."

"Yeah, I know!" Joey said. "I couldn't really afford to get a dog...they didn't have any free pups in the paper. The kitten was free, so I got that, instead. It's close enough, right?"

There were sweat drops on everyone listening, and they decided to avoid the entire thing. Sometimes Joey's mentality was even beyond them.

But Angie then smiled, saying, "It's kinda funny. Sounds more like you're giving this present to Kaiba, instead of his brother."

"I ain't getting anything for that stuck-up prick!" Joey growled. "It's just pay-back, that's all!"

Tea rolled her eyes. "But, Joey, this is supposed to be a present for Mokuba!"

Joey then grinned, saying, "What? You don't think the little kid would like this? Look at him...isn't he cute?"

"...until Kaiba tosses the poor thing on the street." Tea muttered.

Angie looked wide-eyed at that. "You don't think he'd do that, do you?" No one answered that question, not even Yugi. "Well, I don't think anyone would be so mean." she insisted. Angie then turned to Joey, asking, "Joey, why are you so hard up for money, anyway?"

"It's a long story." Joey muttered, looking away.

Yugi then said, "Joey needs the money for his sister's eye operation. He was supposed to get the winnings from Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, but after Pegasus was defeated...they had no money to offer."

"Lousy two-timing jerk!" Joey muttered.

"Why not?" Angie asked. "Isn't that illegal? Can't something be done about that?"

Yugi explained, "From what we could tell, Pegasus never had any money ready since he never expected to lose. And Industrial Illusions is a very big and powerful company, plus they're not even in this country. There's no way Joey could ever touch them."

Angie then turned to Joey, saying, "Well, you guys are friends with Kaiba. Joey, can't you just ask Kaiba for a job?"

"What are you crazy? Kaiba's nothing but a jerk! There's no way he'd ever give me a job!" Joey said.

Angie replied, "Well, from what I saw from Kaiba, he doesn't seem that bad. Maybe you guys are just misjudging him. And Joey, he'll never give you a job, if you never ask. Isn't it worth it for your sister?"

Joey looked down, and grumbled at that. Yugi then smiled, saying, "I think Angie's right. That's a great idea, Joey! You should ask him. It's worth a try..."

Tea smiled. "Yeah, Joey, try swallowing your pride for a change. Maybe he won't be so bad."

"Yeah, right...and maybe lightning will strike him." Joey muttered gloomily.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

They got to the door and rang the bell. After a moment the door opened, and everyone looked up to see Kaiba standing there. He glared down at them, as his eyes swept over every person that came to visit. His eyes then stopped at Angie, which seemed to actually turn a shade warmer as he saw her.

He then quickly looked away from her.

Angie noticed the strange difference in the look he gave her compared to anyone else, but she didn't have much time to wonder about it as he spoke. "Well, it's about time. Understand that, while you're in my house, you will touch 'nothing'. Especially you, Wheeler."

"Don't worry, jerk, I wouldn't wanna touch anything of yours, anyway!" Joey snapped, muttering afterwards, "Probably get Kaiba cooties from it, if I did."

Angie rolled her eyes and nudged him. "Joey...be 'nice'." she said, hinting on their idea. He looked down, grumbling under his breath again.

Kaiba opened the door fully, letting them in...his eyes moving back to look at Angie again, as they entered.

"So, Kaiba, where's your personal assistant?" Joey asked, bringing Kaiba's attention back to him once again.

Kaiba closed the door. "I don't have a personal assist, Mutt."

"I ain't a dog!" Joey snapped.

Kaiba ignored him, saying, "Let's go." as he moved ahead of them.

Joey stayed behind the crowd for a minute as they headed up stairs. Then 1/2 way down the 2nd floor hallway, he suddenly rushed in front of them all, and blurted, "Kaiba, wait!"

Kaiba snapped in annoyance at him, "What?"

"I...uh...well..."

"I don't have time for this. If you're going to be an annoyance, you can wait downstairs." Kaiba replied.

"CAN I HAVE A JOB?"

Everyone froze, including Kaiba. No one really expected Joey to just blurt it out like that. After a long moment of staring, Kaiba crossed his arms, asking, "Do you need a job, Wheeler?"

Joey pitifully nodded.

"Why?"

"I...I need the money. I really need it. I'll do anything...please?" Joey asked.

Kaiba seemed to dwell on the question for a moment. "Actually, now I think of it...one of my corporate heads has recently retired. We need someone to fill the gap. His wage starts at roughly $30 per hour plus benefits. Would that be acceptable to you?"

Joey's jaw dropped. "Uh...duh, duh, duh...30?"

Kaiba stared down at him for a long moment. And then the corner of his mouth began to curl upward...he could no longer hold back a straight face. Kaiba then laughed mockingly down at Joey. "Did you honestly think I'd give such an important position to a loser Bonkatsu like you?" (2)

Joey furrowed in rage. "PRICK! I should have known you'd be lying about a job! I told you guys this was a stupid idea! Kaiba would never be nice enough to do something like that!"

Angie looked genuinely shocked. It's one thing to say no...Another to be downright cruel.

Yugi pleaded, "Please, Kaiba? Joey really needs the money. Can't you help him?"

Kaiba glared at Yugi. "Kaiba Corp is not a charity organization, Yugi. I only hire the best for my industry, and a straight 'F' student definitely doesn't cut it."

"That doesn't mean you have to throw it in his face like that!" Angie snapped at him. "How can be so mean to him? Joey's your friend!"

Kaiba's head snapped over to Angie, as her words went ringing in his head. 'They're your friends, can't you be nice to them?' The same question seemed to come up over and over from Angie in that other world, and it was perhaps finally beginning to sink in. He should respect his sister...she's family, too.

"You should apologize to him." she said, pointing at Joey, who was presently looking like a beaten dog.

He glared over at Joey, and then muttered, "I'm s-..." Kaiba caught himself quickly. No! She was not his sister, this was not that other word, and they were 'not' his friends!

And on top of it, everyone was already staring strangely at him from the almost apology he began to give Joey. Was Kaiba actually about to say, 'I'm sorry?'

That thought only made Kaiba angrier, as he turned back to Angie, directing his anger at her. He was going to fight this, and stop this madness in his head once and for all. Somehow, it was her fault that he was getting messed up like this, and he was not going to let her affect him anymore. "Why should I be giving Wheeler anything! Let him find his own low-end job at some burger world!"

"Because he can't, Kaiba!" Angie said to him. "You know the rules of Domino High, as well as we do. He's not allowed to work without the school's permission. And with his grades, there's no way they'd let him. I thought at least with a friend giving him a job, Joey's job could be kept under the table or something..."

"Well, maybe he should be concentrating more on his school work, than trying to get money. He never had a need for it before...what's so important about it, now?" Kaiba asked.

"Because now he's trying to afford getting his sister an eye operation, that's why! You have a brother, Kaiba - you should understand what Joey's going through. And family is important...isn't it to you?" Angie asked.

Kaiba's eye twitched, as she made that remark. Family is important. Angie was asking him to give Joey a job...couldn't he do that for her? 'She's not my sister!' But somewhere inside, somewhere...he liked having Angie as his sister. And besides...in that other world she was nice to him, and he was too focused on Mokuba to show anything back towards her. He owed her for his lack of attention, and favoritism for his brother...even if it wasn't the same Angie.

Kaiba clenched his jaw, knowing he was losing this battle. "Fine." he finally said, giving in. "I'll try and find him...something." He then turned to Joey. "And you'd better earn every dime that's given to you. If you work for me, you're going to be professional about this. Understand?"

"Yeah, I got it! I got it!" Joey said. He then looked away, muttering, "Uh...thanks."

Kaiba ignored the thank you, and pushed by him.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Clarity Author notes:

(1) - Johji was the character from the Yu-gi-oh! Manga books in the Japanese season 1. He is an annoying baby whose sole interest lies in focusing on Tea's breasts. He was also a big Kaiba fan, until Kaiba threatened his life in his dangerous Death-T game. Tristan's sister was never seen in the Anime, not even the Japanese version as far as I know. In the unseen 1st season Anime, he was replaced by a purple-haired girl that Tristan had a crush on, for awhile (I believe her name was Miho Nosaka).

(2) - Bonkatsu is a Japanese word I had learned from reading so many other fanfics, regarding Kaiba and Joey in some way. From what I heard, this word means 'mediocrity'. I was in fact told that it was one of Kaiba's favorite words that he uses to describe Joey, since it's not a word that Joey could possibly use back at him.


	26. Chapter 26

Finally, they made it to Mokuba's room. He opened the door for them to see Mokuba on top of his covers sleeping.

Tea smiled. "Poor thing. If he's asleep, maybe we should come back later."

"He's all ready been sleeping all day. Besides, he's been waiting for you...a little time up won't bother him." Kaiba answered. He then approached Mokuba and gently nudged him. "Mokuba...time to get up. You've got company."

Mokuba sat up, and began to rub his eyes.

As he did, Tea said, "Hi, Mokuba. I know you met most of us at school, but...well, this is also my friend, Angie. She just joined Domino High, recently. Angie, this is Mokuba."

"Hello." Angie smiled down at him.

Mokuba smiled back, saying, "How do you do?" now that he was a little more awake.

During this whole event, Joey had been watching Mokuba intently. Something about his hair covering his eyes caught his attention, when the kid was just waking up. Then out of the blue, Joey interrupted the whole conversation, as he pointed at Mokuba and blurted out, "Hey, that's funny. Just then with his bangs over his eyes, your brother reminded me of that personal assistant of yours."

Kaiba snapped, "I all ready told you Wheeler, I don't have and never will have a personal assistant!"

"But we saw him!" Joey said. "He was that dude you almost killed during your Death-T tournament!"

Everyone quieted from the mention of Death-T, and Mokuba immediately looked over at Joey, after hearing that.

"Uh...what's Death-T?" Angie asked.

"Drop it." Kaiba answered coldly. "You came her for Mokuba, not for reminiscing."

"But, why's he look so much like that assistant of yours? And why aint he around anymore? And why does Mokuba look kinda like that guy?" Joey continued to drill Kaiba, despite the warning signs for him to stop asking questions.

"Because Seto never had a personal assistant...that was me." Mokuba answered.

Everyone looked over at Mokuba, in shock. Joey asked, "That was you?"

"But Mokuba...why did you tell everyone back then that you were his assistant and not his brother?" Yugi asked.

Mokuba looked down. "Cuz if I screwed up on anything, then it wouldn't reflect on my brother."

"But, wait a minute!" Joey blurted. "If you were that assistant guy, then that means Kaiba tried to kill you!"

At that, Mokuba snapped, "It's wasn't his fault, it was MY fault! I'm the one that screwed up and failed in that game. I'm the one that joined that game, when Seto told me not to!"

But by this time, Mokuba could tell none of them were listening. They were all looking at his brother with accusing eyes, while Kaiba stood staring right back at them with that cold glare, daring them to say something to him...and probably wanting them to. Why else would Kaiba not say anything else to end the conversation? He probably felt he deserved to have the world condemn him for his mistakes.

Mokuba got angry, snapping at them, "I was also the same person who tried to poison you all! And that wasn't Seto's decision, it was mine! So, if you want to keep thinking my brother's terrible, then you'll have to think the same thing about me!"

"That's enough, Mokuba!" Kaiba snapped. Now Kaiba spoke, but only when it was Mokuba's reputation that was threatened on being scarred. He didn't want Mokuba to feel the same pain of being looked at as the bad guy, as everyone always looked upon him that way. Kaiba was used to it, he could deal with it...sometimes it was even easier that way. But he wanted Mokuba to be normal, and have normal friends. He didn't want Mokuba to feel the pain of having people judge him.

They looked over at Mokuba, as that information sunk in. Angie was just totally confused over the whole matter, not sure what to think. And the idea of Mokuba being responsible of poisoning them seemed kind of rough to accept from the others. But then...Yugi smiled. He understood what Mokuba was doing just now, to protect his brother...and he was right to do so.

Yugi nodded, "You're right, Mokuba. It's in the past...it doesn't really matter, now. Neither of you are the same as you were, then. No matter what happened back then, what's important is that you're our friends, now."

At that, Tea brightened and nodded in agreement.

"But, how come you never mentioned Mokuba, even after all that?" Joey asked Kaiba. "I mean...he still can't be worried about doing something wrong around you, can he?"

Kaiba clenched his jaw, staring daggers at Joey who always seemed too stupid to see the warning signs just when to shut up. "Who my family is, is nobody's business but our own!"

Mokuba added quickly. "No, Joey...that's not it. He just tries to keep the reporters away from me. I was all ready kidnapped by Pegasus...one of the few people who knew who I really am to Seto. He just doesn't want anything else to happen to me, that's all."

"Oh...yeah. Guess I never thought about that. That Pegasus was a real creep." Joey said, thinking about how he got ripped off of the money to pay for his sister, after all that effort at Duelist Kingdom. "Well, I suppose none of that matters now anyway, right? 'Sides...since I got a job working fer your brother, I guess it wouldn't be too smart to get him pissed off at me." Joey laughed.

Kaiba thought, 'Too late.' still glaring down at him.

But Mokuba's eyes suddenly widened. "Seto gave you a job?" he asked, and looked over at his brother.

Kaiba heard his brother's reply and quickly looked away, avoiding Mokuba's surprised face.

Angie decided now would be a good time to keep the focus on why they were here in the first place, and suddenly asked, "Well, we all came to see Mokuba...so why don't we get to the gifts, all ready?"

"Sounds great!" Tea said. She approached first, asking, "By the way, Mokuba...how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I guess I still have a fever, but it's nothing, really." Mokuba smiled at her.

Tea then handed him a gift, saying, "Well, I got this for you."

"You guys didn't have to get me gifts." Mokuba said. He opened the bag up to see puppy dog plushy. "Wow, thanks!"

"Now your little friend here will have some company." Tea said, pulling on his dragons nose a bit.

"I've never seen a dragon plushy, like that one before. Where did you get it, Mokuba?" Yugi asked.

"Ask Seto, he gave it to me." Mokuba said, hugging his dragon and his new stuffed puppy.

"So, Kaiba...where did you get it?" Joey asked.

"I had it specially made for him." Kaiba muttered, then glared down at Joey. "...not that it's any of your business, mutt." Kaiba then automatically glanced over at Angie, who was shaking her head at him for his attitude, and quickly looked away.

Again, Angie was left confused. 'Why does he keep staring at me, like that? It's like it matters what I think or something. He's been acting this way ever since we met...' Then suddenly, Angie's eyes widened in shock. 'Oh, my god! Maybe has a crush on me, or something!'

"Well, sorry for asking!" Joey snapped back at Kaiba. Joey then approached, saying, "Here, Mokuba...I got a surprise for ya, too!"

Mokuba opened the bag and was simply delighted. "Wow! Look Seto, Joey gave me a real live kitten!"

"What?" Kaiba snapped, glaring over at it. A live animal in his house? Why did he agree to give Joey a job again? Why was it that Joey always seemed to screw things up?

Kaiba glared over at Joey, who was flashing him a cocky grin on top of it all. He was about to rip Joey a new one right there, but he still felt Angie's eyes on him, and that damn 'she's my sister' chant kept ringing through his head. So instead, he grabbed Joey by the arm, hissing, "I'd like to have a little word with you." and dragged him out of the room.

Kaiba shoved him against the opposite wall, snapping, "What's the idea of bringing an animal into this house, Wheeler?" Of course, the others in Mokuba's room were glancing towards the door, since they could still hear them.

Joey answered, "I know what you're problem is, Kaiba. You obviously don't like dogs...that's why you're calling me one all the time. Well, now you gotta care for one for a change, don'tcha? So, maybe now if you get to liking one, you wont pick on me all the time about it. Whaddya think of that?"

Kaiba looked at Joey like he just grew a second head. "Wheeler...do you 'ever' make sense? Maybe in that vast stupidity you call your brain, you didn't realize the simple fact that what you got Mokuba is NOT a dog!"

Joey looked down at the ground from Kaiba's retort, and answered, "Uh, yeah...well, I couldn't afford one. So I got the kitten. It was close enough...right?"

Kaiba gave up. He couldn't deal with it anymore. If Kaiba listened to Joey one more moment, he was going to either strangle Joey, or shoot himself to make the insanity go away. He put his hand up, and turned away. "Forget it. If I ever attempted to figure out your thinking, I wouldn't have any brain cells left."

"Hey! What is 'that' supposed to mean?" Joey asked, as Kaiba ignored him and went back into the room.

Inside, the others had overheard and were trying to hide their snickers. After all, Joey had all ready explained to them his 'attempted' gag joke for Kaiba, which just wasn't working...since it wasn't a dog.

While, Mokuba looked so happy in his bed, as he held up another gift and said to Kaiba, "Seto, look what else I got!" It was a notebook with a Blue Eyes drawn on it, and coloring books with a set of colored pencils.

"I hope my art work's okay." Angie smiled. "Tea mentioned that you guys both liked that Duel Monster card, so I asked to see what it looks like. They showed me from a picture in a magazine. I know it's probably not that great, but..."

"It's fine." Kaiba said, looking over at her. She looked up in surprise, not expecting to even hear from him. What Angie said...it reminded Kaiba of the homemade card that Mokuba made for him, when he was so young. And now Angie made one for Mokuba.

Mokuba said, "Yeah, Angie...the picture's great. Thanks!"

"I'm glad you like it." Angie replied.

"Check this out too, big brother." Mokuba said, holding up a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle with practically every known Duel Monster on it. "Yugi got me this!"

Kaiba nodded his head, but said nothing. He could only imagine the amount of time he was going to have to waste more from work, while helping Mokuba make that puzzle, instead. But he owed his brother time together anyway, so maybe it was a good thing.

Yugi then muttered, "Well...I'm glad you liked all the gifts, Mokuba. But honestly, we really should be going. You're still sick and need your rest."

"I agree." Kaiba said, before Mokuba could protest.

Mokuba nodded, "Yeah, I guess so. Well, thanks for stopping over, and thanks for all the gifts!"

"You make sure to get well, soon." Tea told him. The group then waved and gave their good-byes, then Kaiba lead them out of the room.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Kaiba lead them to the front door, and opened it for them.

Yugi smiled, saying, "Thanks for letting us stop over, Kaiba. It was nice visiting. Maybe we can do this again, sometime..."

"You can go now, Yugi." Kaiba said coldly, really not wanting to hear yet another friendship speech. And having them bring up Death-T today was certainly not the most pleasant meeting for him, either.

Joey then looked up shyly, saying, "Uh, and thanks for the job...again..."

At that, Kaiba gave a cold smirk. "You haven't gotten the job yet, Wheeler. You shouldn't thank me until you at least see what I have in store for you. You're mine now, mutt."

Joey swallowed hard and almost ran out the door.

Tea gave a polite smile and nodded, leaving with the others. Then Angie smiled up at Kaiba, saying, "Thanks for helping Joey out, Kaiba. That was a really nice thing for you to do."

Kaiba looked away, offering nothing more than an irritated grunt. She then began to head out the door. But she was suddenly stopped by Kaiba's hand. "Hold on. I need to speak to you for a minute."

Immediately, Tea, Yugi, and Joey stopped and turned back, overhearing what Kaiba said. Joey was quick to jump in. "Hey! Angie's our friend...whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of us!"

Angie began to worry that maybe Kaiba did have a crush on her. Blushing, she turned to them and waved, saying, "Uh...it's okay, guys. You wait out here, and I'll be out in a minute...okay?"

But, Kaiba didn't give the others time to answer, as he took the front door and slammed it in their faces.

"That wasn't very nice!" Angie said to him.

Kaiba sneered at that, saying, "Maybe it's about time you learned that I'm not a not a very nice person. Let's go."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

'Where are we going?' Angie wondered, as she followed him. She then crossed her arms, and muttered, "You might fool them with your attitude Seto Kaiba, but you don't fool me. You might act tough, but it's just an act. I know you can probably be a real nice person underneath, no matter what you say. You men always have to try and show some kind of macho attitude..."

"Are you done, yet? You're boring me." Kaiba snapped down at her. They were now in the living room, and Kaiba was waiting for her mouth to stop flapping, so he could get to the point.

She glared up him...maybe she was wrong, and he really was a jerk. "Fine. So, what did you want to say, then?"

"At school, Gardner told me you were looking for a place to stay." Kaiba stated.

"Uh...yeah. That's right." Angie said.

Kaiba then looked away, saying, "Well...you can stay here."

"What?" Angie asked, shocked. "You're...kidding, right?" 'Oh, my god...maybe he 'does' like me!'

Kaiba then glared back at her, replying coldly, "Don't think I'm offering you a free ride. You're going to earn your keep. Coincidentally, I need someone to watch my brother when I'm working, and you need a room to stay in. It works out. And of course, you'll be paid for the time you're watching him."

"But...why would you want me to watch him? You barely know me." Angie said.

At that, Kaiba sneered. "Because you're the one who needs a place to stay."

Angie wasn't exactly sure how to take that. It sounded like he was going to dangle over her head the need she had for a home. "But...what about the times I want to see my friends?"

"Schedule that around your job time, or take Mokuba with you. He seems to like your geek friends for some reason, anyway." Kaiba replied.

Angie retorted. "They're not geeks, and they're your friends too, Kaiba."

"...whatever." Kaiba answered. "So, is it a deal or not?"

Angie sighed, and nodded. "Yeah, I do need a place to stay. And having extra money would be good. I'll take it."

"Good. Besides, after hiring Wheeler on your say-so, you owe me, anyway." Kaiba muttered.

Angie smiled at that. "I'm surprised you actually listened to me."

'So am I.' he thought, but he wouldn't dare say that to her. Instead, he gave another cold grin, saying, "It's just one more thing to hold over their heads. Besides, making Wheeler obey my every whim might be rather amusing."

Angie groaned. "How do they put up with you? You're impossible!" Kaiba didn't reply to that, and she said, "So then...when do I start?"

"After spring break. That should give you plenty of time to pack and prepare, as well as more than enough time with your new friends. I wouldn't want you thinking that I'm depriving you of their precious friendship chant." Then before Angie could give any rebuttals to that, he turned and began to walk away. "Any additional information you'll need on your future job will be sent to you later. Go down the same hall we came from, and it leads you straight to the front door. You can show yourself out."

"Uh, yeah...thanks." she said, not sure if he even heard the thank you, as he walked away. "...I think." she added, not sure if taking this job was a good thing or not. Kaiba was just so...strange to understand. And here she thought she had him figured out, at one point. 'Ugh...men!'

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Angie left the house, where all her friends were outside waiting for her.

"So, what did he do to you?" Joey immediately asked, assuming the worst as usual.

Angie smiled, "He didn't do anything...at least nothing bad."

"And what's that supposed ta mean?" Joey snapped.

Tea rolled her eyes. "Joey, will you let her talk?"

"So, Angie...what did Kaiba want?" Yugi asked her.

"Well...it looks like I found my place to live. And I also got a job!" she said happily.

"He gave you a job?" Joey asked.

"He gave you a place to live?" Tea asked.

Then Yugi asked, "Where?"

"Right here." Angie smiled. "I'm going to live at the mansion."

There was complete silence. But Joey was first to break that silence. "You living HERE? No way! Kaiba wants something...he definitely wouldn't do that just from the bottom of his heart."

"No. Actually, he needed a baby-sitter. And I guess since he thought I needed a place to stay, he could hold that over my head." she said, rolling her eyes.

Joey nodded then, saying, "Okay. That sounds more like Kaiba."

"You better be careful, Angie." Tea teased. "Maybe Kaiba has other reasons for wanting to get closer to you..."

"Oh, man...that's just gross!" Joey said.

But Angie paled as Tea said that. After those strange stares Kaiba gave her earlier, she started to wonder what if Tea was right and Kaiba 'did' like her that way? 'Oh, god...what if she's right? He is a guy, and he is kind of cute. But...I don't know if I could like him that way. He's just so...weird.' "Uh, yeah..." Angie said, giving a weak laugh, and pretending not to take the comment seriously. But somehow...that thought just outright worried her.

Yugi looked more serious too, as he looked up at the mansion. "You know, it's strange. I'm still trying to figure out how Kaiba new your name."

"He said he just knew someone by that name, who looked similar to her. It was probably just coincidence." Tea shrugged.

Joey added, "Or maybe the jerk's stalking her..."

"Okay, guys!" Angie blurted out, getting even more nervous from Joey's comment. "We're done over at the mansion. Let's get out of here already, okay?"

"Yeah, good idea. The farther away from moneybags, the better..." Joey said.

Yet as they left, Angie didn't seem to feel any better, now worried that Kaiba was perhaps some obsessive stalker that already knew what her problem would be before Tea even told him, and had plans to get her to live with him all along. 'What if he's some weird eccentric rich guy, that doesn't take no for an answer...?' she thought, worried.

And Yugi was also in a world of his own, as he said to his Yami/Spirit...Aiko said that Kaiba was a priest from ancient Egypt. Maybe he knew Angie from a past life/

/I would guess that perhaps he knows her more from another 'world.' Yugi. We don't know who he met, when he was in that other realm. But if he met her there, that would definitely explain why he knows her so well, now./ Yami answered.

Yugi said/Wow...I never thought of that. Do you think they were friends/

/I wouldn't know, aibou. For all we know, she could have even been his girlfriend.../

Yugi smiled. /Gee, that would be awkward.../

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Mokuba Author Note:

For those who have never read the manga in the first season when Mokuba battles against Yugi in capsule monster chess. Well in it you never see Mokuba's eyes. His bangs are that long.

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ancient midnight, we don't know where you were getting all those errors from. But we can't correct them if you don't give us something to go on. So if you would please email Clarity or me and tell us specifically where these problems are so that we can correct them. See my profile for our email addresses. Clarity would have but your profile doesn't give an email so please contact us and help us correct these errors.


	27. Chapter 27

Yugi's group was finally gone. Kaiba went back upstairs to check on Mokuba, now that they were gone. And instead of going back to sleep, Mokuba was up playing with the kitten. The female cat was mostly colored black with a mixture of brown. Her tail was also black, except for an area at the top where it had a small brown circle with a black center.

Kaiba leaned against the doorway, and asked, "Enjoying your new gifts?"

Mokuba looked up immediately, concern in his eyes as he protectively held the cat. "Uh...yeah."

Kaiba looked down. "Listen, Mokuba...about the kitten..."

"I know, I know...you don't like animals, especially cats." Mokuba sadly put the kitten down, and grabbed for his dragon, while waiting for his brother to grab the kitten and take it away. And Mokuba felt absolutely miserable. He knew as soon as Joey gave him that gift that his brother wouldn't allow him to keep it, so he was expecting it. But that didn't make it any easier.

Kaiba could tell Mokuba wanted to keep the cat. He couldn't stand animals...but he really couldn't help it. It was yet another lesson that was pounded into him from Gozaburo.

"Affection for animals is just as bad a weakness as affection for anything, Seto. Keep that in mind. Anything you care for can be used against you. Mathews!"

_The cat that the guard held, which Seto found near the mansion grounds, was placed down on the ground. Mathews then pulled his gun out, and without hesitation fired multiple shots. Kaiba knew better not to turn away, especially while Gozaburo was watching him. He had to stand firm and watch without emotion, as the innocent creature was maimed and killed in front of his eyes._

_"Let that be a lesson to you..."_

Kaiba gave a tired sigh, hoping he wouldn't regret this decision. After all...ever since that day, he taught himself to hate all animals. And something that was programmed into him for that long couldn't be so easily undone. "All right...so, what do you want to name your cat?" For Mokuba...he'd even try to undo that.

Mokuba looked over at him in surprise. "What? You mean...I can keep it?"

Kaiba shrugged. "We can see how it works out, I suppose. I'll have a room fixed up for it and an animal door installed tomorrow, so the cat can have free movement in and out of the house."

Mokuba got up ran over and hugged his brother tightly, "Thank you big brother!"

Kaiba ruffled his hair a little bit, "So what do you want to name it?"

"Joey?"

Kaiba paled. "Please, no..."

"How about Doggy?" Mokuba mused.

Kaiba didn't even crack a smile. "That's not funny."

Mokuba giggled, "Okay. Well, how about Tipper, then?"

"Why Tipper?"

"I don't know." Mokuba said. "When I look at her color, I just think she looks like a Tipper. That and tip of her tail has a brown circle with a black center."

"Fine...whatever. Well, 'Tipper' will stay in the kitchen tonight."

"Okay, big brother."

Kaiba put some newspaper down for the kitten. He then grabbed a box he used to have files brought back and forth with, and cut it down enough to pass for a temporary bed. Then after grabbing a couple bowls from the kitchen, he filled one with water and another with milk...putting them down next to the box. Then closing the door up, he went back upstairs to wash the cat hair off of him, then go back to his office to work.

Kaiba left his office, checking on his brother every so often, giving him juice and water to keep him hydrated as Mokuba continued to recover. By 11, after his brother had his final medicine, Kaiba tucked Mokuba in bed before going to his own bedroom to sleep.

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During the night, Kaiba had a dream...

_"Seto! Seto, help me!"_

_His brother's voice echoed everywhere, and Kaiba searched frantically to find him. Somehow, though he couldn't see him, he knew he was in danger..._

_"Seto!"_

_The image returned of the guard aiming down at the cat with his gun. The cat turned to face the guard. No...it was Mokuba!_

_"Affection for anything is a weakness that can be used against you, Seto. Anything you care for can be used against you...anything you care for...anything..."_

_"Seto!"_

_The fun fired, blood splattered, the image of what was shot was not seen._

_"Mokuba!"_

_He found his brother, he was going to reach him. But reality started to twist around him, like a big whirlpool. Kaiba turned and directly behind him was what looked like a black hole, sucking him in...distorting reality around him. In the center of that black hole was a small box made of gold that seemed to be creating the distortion._

_"Seto, come back!"_

_"Mokuba's in danger! Save your brother, Seto Kaiba...save him!" said a voice he could not recognize. "Save him!"_

_"Mokuba!"_

_"It's just a dream! Seto, Seto! _Seto!"

Kaiba jerked up to a sitting position, covered in sweat. His movements almost caused him to smack right into Mokuba, who moved away in time. And Kaiba didn't even notice him. He was breathing hard, and trying to calm down.

"Seto...?"

Kaiba jerked back, taken off-guard that Mokuba was right there, having trouble deciphering if that was still part of the dream, or if it really was his brother. But reality set in quickly. It was just a dream, it wasn't real. Mokuba was fine...he was right here with him, now.

Kaiba asked him, "What are you doing here?" still trying to get his bearings.

"I heard you shouting. I came in to make sure you were okay, but...you were having a nightmare. Are you okay, Seto?" Mokuba asked, a little worried.

Kaiba nodded, calming down. Damn nightmares. It was one of the few things in life he couldn't escape from. He nodded, answering, "Yeah...I'm fine. It was just a dream."

Mokuba knew his brother all too well. Kaiba was the type of person who would say 'I'm fine.' after being run over by a tractor-trailer, and bleeding from every orifice of his body...just to try and make Mokuba feel better. But he certainly didn't look fine. He was still slightly shaken from the nightmare.

So with a smile on his face, Mokuba climbed into Kaiba's bed, laid the dragon down next to his brother, then threw his arms around Kaiba's neck in a comforting hug, like his brother would always do for him when he had a nightmare. Given, he wouldn't throw himself at him, but Mokuba was a lot smaller.

"It's ok, Seto. I'm here...I'm ok. See?"

Kaiba froze at the comment Mokuba made. Did Mokuba know the nightmare was about him? "Wh-why would you think...?"

"What else would you have a nightmare about?" Mokuba muttered quietly, as he got himself comfortable in his brother's bed.

Kaiba smiled...he was right. There was no point in trying to fool his brother...that kid rotated around his world. He was all that really mattered. And having Mokuba next to him after that dream, made him feel secure knowing that his brother was safe.

"I suppose you're right." Kaiba admitted, laying back down.

Mokuba smiled. "Do you feel better now, Seto?"

"Actually I do...yes." Kaiba said. After a pause, he added. "But...you really don't have to stay on my account. I'm fine, really. It's just a stupid dream. You should probably get back to bed, where you'll be more comfortable. Do you want me to tuck you in?"

Kaiba couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, when Mokuba shook his head no. But then he said, "I'd rather stay here with you, Seto. Please let me stay...just for tonight?"

"You know we're both too old for that." Kaiba said, smiling down at his brother.

It was now Mokuba's turn to look disappointed. "Yeah, I know...I'm sorry." But as Mokuba was about to get up, Kaiba stopped him from doing so.

"But...I guess this one night wont hurt." Mokuba beamed. "Just don't get into the habit of it, okay?"

"Okay! I mean...I wont!" Mokuba said excitedly.

Kaiba then readjusted the covers, to make sure they were comfortably around them both, dragon still nuzzled in Mokuba's arms and Mokuba snuggled up against him.

"Goodnight, Seto." Mokuba said. "I love you..."

"Goodnight, Mokuba." Kaiba merely answered, saying nothing more.

Affection was a difficult thing for Kaiba, and Mokuba knew that. It didn't matter anyway for Mokuba, cuz he knew.

Kaiba closed his eyes. And after awhile, Mokuba drifted to sleep. As he did, Kaiba's eyes opened up again, as he whispered, "I love you, too..." He pecked Mokuba a kiss on the forehead, making his little brother smile in his sleep. Only then did Kaiba feel comfortable enough to drift to sleep, himself.

From outside the window, another figure watched the house in the distance, as if being right there and seeing the entire scene before her. Aiko smiled, saying, "Our paths will cross again, Seto Kaiba...I have sensed it. Oh, yes...we will see each other again, soon enough."

At that, Aiko turned and faded into nothingness, carried away by the wind.

THE END

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Mokuba A/N:

Well we hope you enjoyed the story. We thank you very much for all the kind reviews. Keep watch though. We have many sequels planned ahead. So, we hope you'll stick around and read, review, and enjoy the other stories to come.

Asj: if you look back over earlier chapters, you'll see Kaiba never told anyone Mokuba was his brother. Of course, some people in Mokuba's school knew, but not many people. It's explained that Kaiba never told cause he wanted to keep Mokuba safe.

Angie/Kaiba relationship: Sorry, but I'm afraid this wont be cleared up till the end of the sequel, maybe. Clarity's having too much fun with it at the moment.

Note on Death-T: Death Tournament held by Kaiba in the Japanese 1st season, and the manga books. During this season, Kaiba was a lot meaner and a bit psycho, due to his father's abuse towards him. In this Death Tournament, Kaiba basically placed Yugi and all his friends lives in terrible danger. The first episode of Yugioh is basically a very 'friendly' summation of the Japanese 1st season. We have placed some changes in this storyline, where they did not know Mokuba was Kaiba's brother, and thought he was his personal assistant. Mokuba did some rather harsh things too in that season, but it was Mokuba's cry...desperate to get his brother's attention, who's hearts was buried, consumed by darkness and hate.

Mokuba Author notes: 9/23/2005 I wanted to tell you today's my birthday so I decided to give you the last chapter.


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